Barnsley Education Inclusion Services
The Vision Support Team
Who we are
Within our specialist team are teachers, a support worker and habilitation specialist who have undertaken professionally recognised training and qualifications to allow us to assess, understand and meet the needs of children and young people (C/YP) aged 0 to 25 years with visual impairment.
What we do
The role of a specialist teacher and specialist support worker is to help children and young people (C/YP) who may experience problems with learning because of a visual impairment.
We work with C/YP, families, and educational settings to create a deeper understanding of eye conditions and the potential problems for learning. At the heart of our work, we promote equal access to learning. We do this by giving advice on the best learning environments, resources and teaching strategies. Its catered to the individual needs of the C/YP we work with.
Habilitation combines both mobility and orientation training with the teaching of the life-skills needed to perform everyday tasks. The skills and strategies taught by the habilitation specialist help C/YP with vision impairment to help them be independent for when they become adults. The habilitation specialist works closely with the specialist teachers and support worker, to make sure there's a joint, planned approach towards understanding and meeting the needs of C/YP. They do this by working with educational settings and families.
The vision support service work with educational settings giving advice and training to make sure the needs of C/YP with visual impairment are understood and met. Within this context we may also work directly with C/YP using a range of assessment tools. We assess needs, identify provision to reduce any barriers to learning and where appropriate provide direct teaching to build specific skills.
How we work
Barnsley Vision Support Service work within a set of quality standards for sensory support services established by National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) and quality standards for habilitation.
Assessment of a C/YP’s visual impairment informs the type and level of support from the service ensuring a needs-led offer. Barnsley Vision Support Service have an eligibility framework outlining levels of support informed by NatSIP guidance. This makes sure there's a fair and equitable access to the service.
We work in partnership with parents/carers, key staff in educational settings, health, social care and education services to make sure there's a shared understanding of need. C/YP are at the centre of our involvement and we work to make sure C/YP voice informs our assessments outcomes. We also have plans for strategies/approaches to achieve those outcomes. We work in settings, family homes and the community within a framework of ‘assess plan do and review’ that supports monitoring of progress towards agreed outcomes. We work within statutory SEND processes to provide advice for education health and care (EHC) needs assessments and as part of the annual review process for C/YP with an education health and care plan (EHCP).
Accessing the service
The Vision Support Service is accessed by a referral from health services such as ophthalmology, orthoptic services and paediatric consultants. If settings/schools have concerns regarding a C/YP’s vision, a referral to the service can be made with agreement of parents/carers. See the referral form.
Our service model
The information in the dropdowns identify different types of support within our needs-led offer. All children and young people who need access to the Vision Support Service get support specified under 'assessment of need'. Our functional vision assessment informs the level and type of support needed from our wider service offer outlined below in 'monitoring advice and training' and 'specialist teaching'.
Assessment of need
- Functional vision assessment to establish type and level of support in relation to accessing the curriculum and habilitation needs.
- create a shared understanding of eye condition with setting, parents/carers and C/YP.
Monitoring, advice and training
- Advice on reasonable adjustments to support access to learning.
- Environmental audit of educational settings and home environment and risk management for setting as needed.
- Ongoing assessment of needs to inform outcomes and provision to meet outcomes.
- Monitor and review progress towards outcomes; provide reports for settings and parents/carers.
- Training for key staff in educational settings to support understanding of C/YP’s eye condition.
- Peer awareness raising.
- Training to support practice and provision that reduces any barriers to learning and meets the needs of C/YP with visual impairment.
- Advise on adapting learning and daily living resources.
- Advise on effective use of specialist equipment. For example, low vison aids.
Specialist teaching
- Modelling approaches needed to support a C/YP in settings or in the home/community.
- Modelling and delivery of specific programmes/interventions. For example, visual stimulation programme.
- Targeted intervention to support the delivery of the additional curriculum. For example, braille, touch typing, mobility.
- Monitoring and tracking of development C/YP’s skills.
- Maintenance of mobility aids.
For more information
What our schools and parents/carers say about us
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The vision team is one in a million, the support they show us as a family and our son that's registered blind is appreciated. Would like to give them a big praise and thank them so much for their hard work and dedication to their job. The compassion and support is amazing. And because of them our boy is thriving on a day to day basis and in his education, thank you again so much.
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Over 5 years of involvement with Vision Support, the advice has been spot on and has helped my child get to where she is now. I've just been to a meeting with school to review her outcomes and she is doing brilliantly, this is because of all the hard work that we put in following advice given when she was little. I feel my views are listened to and understood and then there is planning around next steps to overcome the issues. I can always ask for any advice and support and know I will get the right advice. Thank you!!
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I’m currently working with Vision Support to support a child in my class. The practitioner clearly explained the child's visual impairment to me and provided me with lots of strategies and advice on how to support the child. She also took time to listen to how the child was in the school setting and was so positive towards the progress the child had made and assessed how these should inform the next steps.
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A pleasure to work in collaboration with Vision Support. The practitioner has a lovely relationship with the child she supports - they are comfortable to share their successes and worries with her. Feedback from child, parent and teacher is skilfully gained to accurately review and plan targets. My knowledge of vision impairment is growing and am therefore able to provide improved learning opportunities and better outcomes.