Vision and Orientation & Mobility Assessment & Support

Blindness Skills Specialist

The Missouri School for the Blind Outreach Program offers functional vision assessments, professional development, training, and technical assistance in the areas of vision impairments and Orientation & Mobility to all local and state education agencies in Missouri. These services are intended to support programming efforts. Services are at no cost to the district/program.

Listing of Blindness Skill Specialists

Services currently being offered by our Blindness Skill Specialist as a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for students birth through 21, include:

Functional Vision Assessments (FVA) are inclusive of assessments in the student’s primary learning media, assistive technology and for the Expanded Core Curriculum. They are intended to identify:

  • How a student functions visually in daily activities with a variety of materials and tools
  • Ways to increase visual functioning
  • Potential roles of primary and secondary learning media (eg., print, tactile, auditory)
  • Current skills in the areas of literacy instruction, compensatory skills, assistive technology, and related low vision aids
  • How the visual impairment affects the student’s performance in the general education curriculum

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Assessments assess a student’s present skills in:

  • Orientation – the cognitive process of utilizing the senses in establishing one’s position and relationship to all other significant objects in one’s environment (e.g., knowing where one is in space)
  • Mobility—the ability to navigate effectively, efficiently and safely from one location to another desired location in another part of the environment (e.g., getting safely from point A to point B)

How To Request an Assessment

In order to process a request and schedule an assessment, the following information is required:

  • Submit a request
  • A written request from the Local and/or State Board Operated Program administration to Outreach Blindness Skills Specialist:
  • Parent/Caregiver submits a Release of Information (ROI) & Parent Observation.
  • The ROI allows the exchange of information between requesting program (LEA, SBOP) and MSB
  • To release the current eye report, a parent will submit a Release of Information form that gives consent to MSB, and both the LEA and their ophthalmologist, to exchange information.
  • Submit necessary background information, including:
  • Current report of comprehensive ocular exam (within the last twelve months) or above ROI releasing eye report
  • Current Review of Existing Data (RED) (if school age) noting “Yes” that assessment is needed in the area of Vision.
  • Current IFSP or IEP
  • Email IFSP or IEP, RED, and other background information to:
  • Staff submit checklist/questionnaire
  • Questionnaire to be completed by staff working with the student

Once we receive and review ALL of these required components, we will contact the requesting agency to schedule an assessment. All functional vision assessments will include primary learning media, Expanded Core Curriculum, and assistive technology components.

If you have any questions about the assessment, please email Jane:

Training and/or Technical Assistance for information and resources

Training for staff and technical assistance is intended to offer information and support regarding a variety of topics. Contact  Jane.Herder@msb.dese.mo.gov or 314-633-1587. to inquire about no-cost training and workshops. Typical trainings are listed below but not limited to:

  • Vision Impairments 101: Everything you Need to Know
  • Adaptations to the learning environment
  • Modifications of materials
  • Approaches to instruction that may be helpful to staff and faculty working with students with visual impairment
  • Expanded Core Curriculum
  • Access and success in general education curriculum
  • Social Interaction Skills
  • Sensory Efficiency
  • Recreation and Leisure Skills
  • Independent Living Skills
  • Self-determination
  • Career Education
  • Orientation and Mobility