I wanted to enter a comment on new information that needs to be addressed in the state's decisions about deaf blindness and blindness/ visual impairment.

As I advocate and educate doctors and school staffing about my daughters condition I have new information that needs to be addressed across the state.  According to professionals the state has a law that bases help offered off of visual acuity.  The definition of blindness is not just referring to acuity it also refers to the physical motor component of the brain (processing and speed).  My daughter has bilateral amblyopia due to high astigmatism, one optic nerve that is not developed as well as the other; she has dysgrahpia which is spelling difficulty, no basic perceptual understanding, and visual processing with a slow motor.  Yet we can not get help and have someone teach our daughter Braille, because you have to go by acuity.  Well, this goes against the definition of blindness, this creates a problem so severe that the children like my daughter go through school and life with little to no help. 

I'm sorry but it's time that people understand that blindness, deafness, and the combination of which are so serve that not just school laws need to change but laws in general.  

My daughter is deaf blind and still can not check out books from the Virginia State Blind and visually impaired Library, because her eye acuity does not qualify her for these services.

I had the blind teacher do an evaluation on our daughter, when I mention Braille and she knew my daughter had good eye acuity she said that is not a recommendation.  Well, the issue with this is by the time a child is 8 their eyes have trained the brain the way it will see for the remainder of the child's life.  Even with vision therapy there will be no cure nor lead to a full correction of the problem. 

My child is 10 and she struggles to read on a pre-school level, this is not from a lack of teaching it is a simple medical disability hindering her education.  It should not be up to the state nor a school system and VDOE to say eye acuity is the only way to get help.  I'm tired of hearing state run agencies saying we can't help you because of the state laws saying your child isn't bad enough. 

People can have good eye acuity’s and still fall under the disability of blindness.  Just like deafness /hard of hearing does not just mean ability to hear.  Children like our daughter with these disabilities need sensory integration therapy.  The schools do not offer this nor know what sensory integration problems ever are or how to help.  Schools need to have this knowledge and develop this as a related service and recognize that this is just as important as speech, PT, OT, and adaptive PE.

It's time for a change and the only way change will come about is people start listening to parents and working with the parents in the best interest of child.