Blind-Visual Impairment Programs
Any student who has a vision impairment that is adversely affecting his/her learning is a potential candidate for the vision program. Today, students with visual impairments or blindness are more likely to attend public schools in their communities rather than in residential schools like in the past. SESE currently employs one vision teacher who travels from school to school to provide direct and consultative services to visually impaired students. These “itinerant” teachers coordinate the specialized instruction and adaptive equipment needs of the child.
The goal of the SESE vision program is to enable each student to reach his/her highest potential for independent living in order to become confident and productive citizens. This goal is accomplished through communicating and working closely with regular and special educators, as well as parents and individual students.
Deaf-Hard of Hearing Impairment Programs
Any student who has a unilateral or bilateral hearing loss that impeded his/he learning is a potential candidate for the hearing impaired (HI) program. To meet eligibility for HI service, SESE implements a full screening process to help determine the severity of hearing loss. The screening process also evaluates the student’s academic strengths and weaknesses, and any other delay that might impede the student’s ability to learn. Once eligibility has been established. Students receiving HI support are fully mainstreamed into education with varying levels of HI support.
The goal of the SESE hearing impaired program is to assist students with learning impairments to realize their full potential and become independent productive students.
Learning Disability Programs
Students with specific learning disabilities (LD) comprise the largest group of students served within the SESE cooperative. A child with a learning disability exhibits significant difficulty in one or more of the basic processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken and/or written. This difficulty may manifest itself in an impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or complete mathematical calculations. Students with a learning disability, by definition have average intellectual ability, however, there is a significant discrepancy between their intellectual ability and their academic achievement.
Programs that provide services to this group vary widely depending upon the nature and severity of the individual’s disability and are individualized to specifically address each students needs. SESE and member districts are mandated to allow each student to participate in general education to the greatest extent possible. Therefore, programs can be designed to support the student in general education (consultation), support the student by serving them in a special education classroom for part (less than 50%) of the school day (resource) or support the student by serving them in a special education classroom (greater than 50%) of the school day (self-contained). The abilities and needs of each student determine which program will best serve them. In addition, each student has individualized goals which specifically address areas in which the student will work in conjunction with his/her classroom teacher to realize their full potential.
Transition Services
STEP
The Secondary Transitional experience Program (STEP) is designed to provide supervised work experience for high school students with disabilities. The program is sponsored by the Department of Human Services and Department of Rehabilitation Services. Emphasis is placed on developing appropriate work-related habits and attitudes and on acquiring marketable work skills. STEP provides an opportunity for students to experience guided on-the-job training.
To participate in this school-to-work program, a student must be sixteen years of age (a junior or senior in high school) and identified as having a disabling condition that would create a barrier toward employment. One and a half to three hours of each student’s school day may be spent at an established work-site training station. The training station may be located at businesses in the community or on training sites within the school district.
Students receive work related instruction in order to enhance their job training experience. Students participating in the STEP program earn school credit(s) toward graduation. Wages earned by STEP participants can be totally funded by STEP, partially subsidized by STEP and the employer, or paid in total by the employer.
The STEP program offered through South Eastern Special Education serves the districts of Clay City, North Clay, Flora, Hutsonville, Robinson, Palestine, Oblong, Jasper, Red Hill, Lawrenceville, and Richland. Susan Vaughn serves as the vocational and transition coordinator. She works with students, teachers, parents and community businesses to promote a team effort in effectively giving students support and training. The vocational coordinator is responsible for obtaining worksites, developing an individual training plan for each participant, evaluating student progress and providing school-to-work transition services.