West Virginia Code 18-10J-4 – Standards of competency and instruction
Instruction in braille reading and writing shall be provided with the goal of enabling each blind or visually impaired child to communicate effectively and efficiently with the same level of proficiency expected of the child's peers of comparable ability and grade level. The child's individualized education program shall specify:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 18-10J-4
- Blind or visually impaired child: means an individual who is eligible for special education services and who:
(1) Has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or has a limited field of vision such that the widest diameter subtends an angular distance of no greater than twenty degrees. See West Virginia Code 18-10J-2
- Braille: means the system of reading and writing through touch commonly known as standard English braille. See West Virginia Code 18-10J-2
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
(a) The results obtained from the evaluations required under section three of this article;
(b) How braille will be implemented as the primary mode for learning through integration with other classroom activities;
(c) The date on which braille instruction will commence;
(d) The length of the period of instruction and the frequency and duration of each instructional session;
(e) The level of competency in braille reading and writing to be achieved by the end of the period and the objective assessment measures to be used; and
(f) If a decision has been made under section two of this article, that braille instruction or use is not required for the child:
(1) Documentation that the decision was reached after a review of pertinent literature describing the educational benefits of braille instruction and use; and
(2) A specification of the evidence used to determine that the child's ability to read and write effectively without braille instruction is not impaired.