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-Parent Friendly one-page guidance documents-

SPEC

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TO:              Directors of Special Education

SUBJECT:    Annual Resources Update for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is required by the Code of Virginia,
§ 22.1-217.01, to annually prepare and distribute to local school boards information describing educational and other services that are available to students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired. School boards are required to post this information on school division websites annually and to inform the parents of students who are identified as deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired of the availability of such services. Specifically, the law states:

“The Department of Education shall annually prepare and distribute to local school boards packets of information describing the educational and other services available through the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired to students who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing or visually impaired. Local school boards shall annually post this information on the school division’s website and inform the parents of those students who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing or visually impaired of its availability. School boards shall ensure that packets of such information are available in an accessible format for review by parents who do not have Internet access.”

The VDOE’s Annual Resources Update for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities is a compilation of the required guidance documents and additional resources available through the VDOE’s Sensory Disabilities webpage. Administrators and teachers may reprint VDOE’s guidance and resources to share with parents. School divisions may also provide printed copies and alternate formats in Virginia public schools and public libraries.

For questions regarding these annual resources, contact Wanda Council, Specialist for Sensory Disabilities, at (804) 750-8614 or Wanda.Council@doe.virginia.gov.