Room 6 - Resource Room (Section 4 of 7)
Section 4 – Key recommendations from the research project
- There is a need for consistency in provision of mobility and independence education to children with visual impairment. We recommend that services consider adopting the key concepts and skills in the curriculum framework set out in Section 1 of the Curriculum Room as the basis underpinning their provision. Training arrangements for staff should be designed to reinforce this approach.
- A child’s mobility and independence development is integral to that child’s educational progress. It is therefore recommended that this principle should be reflected within the statement of SEN and that mobility and independence provision should normally be recorded as 'educational provision’.
- In the interests of effective, co-ordinated provision, a single agency should have responsibility for overseeing the delivery of mobility and independence education. It is recommended that the LEA should take this lead role.
- LEAs, working in collaboration with other agencies, should develop and maintain policies for mobility and independence education, within and beyond school.
- All children with a visual impairment should have a basic assessment to determine whether they require mobility and independence support immediately or potentially in the future.
- LEA mobility and independence policy documents should include explicit reference to the needs of, and educational provision for, pre-school children, children undergoing transition from school to post-school, children with multiple disabilities and a visual impairment, and children from a range of cultural and religious backgrounds.
- LEAs should ensure through transition arrangements that appropriate provision is made for young people with mobility and independence needs via contact with the Connexions service Personal Advisers and other key players.
- Parents have a key role in the day-to-day support of their child’s mobility and independence development. Their need for support and training should be recognised and appropriate provision made.
- Training courses in the area of mobility and independence education have tended to develop in different ways and the standards they adopt may not always be comparable. It is recommended that interested parties should meet to agree on common standards for training. It would be particularly helpful if the DfES could offer a grant in support of this initiative. The agenda should include issues such as programme time and content dedicated to children’s mobility and independence.
- DfES should give consideration to making specific mention of training for mobility and independence education in guidance relating to the training and development component of the SEN category of the Standards Fund. It would also be helpful if any future DfES grant schemes could make provision for encouraging the creation of fresh training opportunities in this area.
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