ABSTRACT
Introduction: In the early spring of 2020, governments were beginning to react to the news of a global pandemic being caused by COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of COVID-19 on early intervention services for young children with visual impairments and their families. Methods: Parents of children with visual impairments aged birth to 3 years were asked a series of questions contained in a larger Access and Engagement survey that investigated the experiences of families of children and young adults with visual impairments aged birth to 21 years and professionals that provided educational services. Results: Three overall themes emerged from the data: (1) many changes occurred in the home, (2) early intervention services changed, and (3) planning for the transition to preschool was affected. Discussion: Overall, the changes in education due to the pandemic and initial shutdown resulted in much parental stress. Parents reported that they were stressed and sometimes overwhelmed by the sudden and dramatic changes in their daily lives and how best to help their children in continuing to learn and develop their skills while simultaneously working from home, being caregivers to the other children in the family, and serving as educators and sometimes informal therapists to their children. Many services moved to an online format and were provided remotely. Implications for Practitioners: Service providers should continue to provide services to families and children who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown while continuing to provide ways to support the social and emotional well-being of their families. Service providers and families should monitor their children's development and learning both now and in the future.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Since the 1970s, many universities and agencies have prepared professionals in visual impairment through distance educational approaches, including concentrated off-campus courses, video and telephone connections, and synchronous or asynchronous online methods. Although online professional preparation in visual impairment has become common, there is little data that compares outcomes of on-campus instruction with distance education methods. This article reports follow-up data from a federally funded graduate university program that prepares teachers of students with visual impairments: It compares results from a survey that describes how on-campus and distance education students perceived the quality of their preparation. Methods An online survey was sent to 37 bachelor's degree students who had earned certification as teachers of students with visual impairments. 27 students returned usable surveys, in which they reported relevant demographic information and current job roles. The survey included 13 demographic questions about employment and setting. Eight questions related to general evaluation of their preparation program, and 22 questions related to perceived competence in skills needed to prepare teachers of students with visual impairments. Results There were few differences between perceptions of students who were prepared in the full-time on-campus model and those who were prepared through distance education. Most respondents were graduates working as itinerant teachers in public schools or specialized school settings. With regard to perceptions of their own skills related to visual impairment, only the item on assistive technology showed a significant difference between the two models. Students in distance education perceived themselves as less well prepared in that area. Discussion Given the increased shift toward distance learning caused by the COVID-19 virus, the authors suggest that a broad-based national study of outcomes related to distance learning in visual impairment might offer more detailed insights into the quality of teaching produced through distance learning.