9. BCVI’s strategies and methods in early intervention and preparation for entry into school should be used as a model for the provision of support for children with disabilities other than visual impairment. 10.
The MoE needs to enforce that all children have the right to an education.
11. The MoE needs to make operational the inclusion policy so that schools can and are obligated to accommodate students who are blind and visually impaired. 12. The MoE needs to respond to concerns that services for some students who are blind and visually impaired are not appropriate to address their unique educational and learning needs, particularly their needs for instruction in reading, writing, and composition, as well as orientation and mobility and other self-help skills. Policy guidance on educating students who are blind and visually impaired urgently needs to be articulated and implemented by the Ministry of Education. 13. The Curriculum Plus Skills need to be updated to include recent technological advances and current innovative pedagogical practices. Considerations should be made to use computers and other new technologies in teaching children who are blind and visually impaired. This will help to facilitate the individualized needs and attention these children need to enhance their academic performance. 14. NaRCIE needs to develop a strategy to more regularly and systematically visit and support students who are blind and visually impaired, as well as teachers, principals, and parents. There should be at least three fully trained itinerant teachers of the blind, strategically placed around the country to give support to children who are visually impaired on a consistent basis (weekly). This is not the role of BCVI. 15. Classroom teachers, who have a student with a special need or disability in their class, need to be trained in at least basic methodologies for teaching children with disabilities before they start teaching a disabilities or disabled student. This can be accomplished by attracting teachers to the summer training programs for teachers offered by BCVI and NaRCIE. 16. Methodology for teaching students with disabilities should be included in summer in-service training offered by the Ministry of Education and continued professional development (CPD) credits given to them by TEDS. 17. Teachers who attend summer training courses in teaching children with disabilities should continue to get TEDS credits. 18. NaRCIE should make available the service of its specialists in the other districts via monthly mobile clinics, like the ophthalmologist from BCVI does, to avoid the inconvenience of having to travel to Belize City or somewhere outside of one’s district of residency. 19. Consideration should be made to house NaRCIE’s IROs away from the Ministry of Education office in the districts (Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo, Stann Creek, Toledo) because they are required to perform many other functions in the department restricting them from fulfilling their main duties as an IRO. If the IRO stays at the present location, the role of the IRO must be well defined and streamlined. 20. Success stories of children who grew up through the system and are successful, productive citizens should be documented and shared with others to motivate them. 21. Parents should be trained to teach home-bound children and conduct home schooling to increase access to primary school.
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