1. (a)

   1. (1) The Division of State Services for the Blind will coordinate services with the Department of Education at a state level and with schools and school districts at the local level.
   2. (2) Pre-ETS counselors should work closely with the department’s Educational Services for the Visually Impaired Consultants, who are located around the state and provide support and assistance to students who are blind and visually impaired in the schools.
   3. (3) School officials continue to be responsible for providing a free and appropriate public education to include transition services required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.

2. (b)

   1. (1) To better serve consumers, pre-ETS counselors should be familiar with legislation affecting students who are blind or visually impaired and school programs available to them.

   2. (2) Important programs and terms include:

      1. (A)

3. (i) Section 504 Plan.

   1. (ii) A school's written statement of services provided in accordance with Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is called a 504 Plan (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center/statutes/section-504-rehabilitation-act-of-1973).

      1. (iii) Section 504 requires school districts that receive federal funding to provide a "free and appropriate public education" to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability.

         1. (iv) Appropriate educational services are designed to meet the individual needs of such students to the same extent as the needs of students without disabilities are met; and

      2. (B)

         1. (i) Individualized education program (IEP).
         2. (ii) The school's written plan to meet educational goals and objectives for a student with a disability is called an individualized education program (IEP).
         3. (iii) The IEP must include a statement of the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
         4. (iv)
4. (a) (a) It must also include how the student's disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.

5. (b) (b) That is, the same curriculum as for students without disabilities.

   1. (c) (c) The IEP must be revised at least once a year.

      1. (c) The counselor will make every effort to attend all IEP meetings scheduled for consumers on their caseload either in person or electronically.

         1. (d) Attendance at IEP meetings will allow the VR counselor to understand what additional services the consumer is receiving from comparable benefits and develop an appropriate set of services for the consumer.

Codification Notes: “ETS” means employment transition services. "VR" means vocational rehabilitation.