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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The provision of a free, appropriate public | ||||||
3 | education for a student with a visual impairment can occur only | ||||||
4 | with the proper concentrated services, equipment, and access to | ||||||
5 | education; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Children and youth who are visually impaired face | ||||||
7 | unique and significant barriers related to their instruction | ||||||
8 | that profoundly affect most aspects of the educational process, | ||||||
9 | including the impact of ever changing technology and the world | ||||||
10 | it encompasses; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Blindness and visual impairments are often | ||||||
12 | considered secondary disabilities, thus the specialized | ||||||
13 | educational needs of the blind and visually impaired are rarely | ||||||
14 | fully addressed; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Children and youth with visual impairments are | ||||||
16 | guaranteed an education in the least restrictive setting | ||||||
17 | possible, meaning that they are entitled to be integrated as | ||||||
18 | fully as possible into the regular classroom, unless there is | ||||||
19 | clearly a reason for the child to be in a more specialized | ||||||
20 | program; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Full access to education depends upon an |
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1 | educational environment that utilizes the appropriate | ||||||
2 | materials and properly and fully trained staff and provides for | ||||||
3 | direct communication between staff, students, parents, and | ||||||
4 | peers; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired | ||||||
6 | should become the go-to facility for best teaching practices | ||||||
7 | regarding programs for children with visual impairments and the | ||||||
8 | statewide center for teacher training and specialized | ||||||
9 | curriculum development; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired | ||||||
11 | should include on-going teacher training for itinerant, | ||||||
12 | mainstream, and private school educators; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired | ||||||
14 | should include specific programming on visual impairments for | ||||||
15 | teaching and rehabilitation professionals from both the State | ||||||
16 | Board of Education and the Department of Human Services; and
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17 | WHEREAS, While unemployment in the nation continues to | ||||||
18 | drop, the unemployment rate for people with visual impairments | ||||||
19 | is over 70%; and
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20 | WHEREAS, There should be greater access to transitional | ||||||
21 | services for students who are blind or visually impaired |
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1 | entering vocational rehabilitation services and employment; | ||||||
2 | and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Successful transitional programs may result in | ||||||
4 | better services and jobs, knowledgeable self-advocates, and | ||||||
5 | achievement of competitive outcomes; therefore, be it
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6 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
7 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
8 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Joint Task Force | ||||||
9 | on Blind and Visually Impaired Educational Options, consisting | ||||||
10 | of 13 members appointed as follows: | ||||||
11 | (1) the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of | ||||||
12 | the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, | ||||||
13 | and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives | ||||||
14 | shall each appoint one member; and | ||||||
15 | (2) the following entities shall each appoint one | ||||||
16 | member: the State Board of Education, the Illinois | ||||||
17 | Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, the | ||||||
18 | LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the | ||||||
19 | Illinois Committee of Blind Vendors, Illinois Parents of | ||||||
20 | the Visually Impaired, the Blind Services Planning | ||||||
21 | Council, the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired's | ||||||
22 | Advisory Board, the Visual Disabilities education program | ||||||
23 | at Northern Illinois University, and the Specialist in Low | ||||||
24 | Vision and Blindness education program at Illinois State |
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1 | University; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That all members of the Task Force shall serve | ||||||
3 | without compensation; and be it further
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4 | RESOLVED, That the duty of the Task Force is to undertake a | ||||||
5 | comprehensive and thorough review of the education of and | ||||||
6 | services available to the blind and visually impaired children | ||||||
7 | of this State with the intent of making recommendations that | ||||||
8 | would recognize the need for delivering full educational | ||||||
9 | services to a blind or visually impaired student, ensure that | ||||||
10 | schools have the most updated and adequate equipment to provide | ||||||
11 | services to blind and visually impaired students, and recognize | ||||||
12 | the need for teachers trained in the unique needs of blind and | ||||||
13 | visually impaired students; recommending uniform methods and | ||||||
14 | procedures to develop curricula for blind and visually impaired | ||||||
15 | students; and providing a comprehensive review of the needs and | ||||||
16 | operation of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired and | ||||||
17 | making recommendations for changes; and be it further | ||||||
18 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force should look towards states | ||||||
19 | that have successful, independent, and adequate educational | ||||||
20 | models for students with visual impairments, such as the | ||||||
21 | Washington State School for the Blind; and be it further | ||||||
22 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force may request assistance from |
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1 | any entity necessary or useful for the performance of the Task | ||||||
2 | Force's duties; and be it further | ||||||
3 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its | ||||||
4 | recommendations to the General Assembly on or before January 1, | ||||||
5 | 2008; and be it further | ||||||
6 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
7 | delivered to the State Board of Education, the Illinois | ||||||
8 | Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, the | ||||||
9 | LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Illinois | ||||||
10 | Committee of Blind Vendors, Illinois Parents of the Visually | ||||||
11 | Impaired, the Blind Services Planning Council, the Illinois | ||||||
12 | School for the Visually Impaired's Advisory Board, the Visual | ||||||
13 | Disabilities education program at Northern Illinois | ||||||
14 | University, and the Specialist in Low Vision and Blindness | ||||||
15 | education program at Illinois State University.
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