Senate Bill sb1720

    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1720

    By Senator Crist





    12-547-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to literacy education for blind

  3         persons; amending s. 1003.55, F.S.; requiring

  4         that instruction in braille be part of the

  5         individualized education program for a child

  6         who is blind or visually impaired; providing

  7         exceptions and conditions to that requirement;

  8         providing standards for such instruction and

  9         specifying contents of the individualized

10         education program; providing an effective date.

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12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 1003.55, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         1003.55  Instructional programs for blind or visually

17  impaired students and deaf or hard-of-hearing students.--

18         (4)(a)  In developing an individualized written

19  education program for each blind student, the presumption

20  shall be that blind students can communicate effectively and

21  efficiently with the same level of proficiency expected of the

22  students' peers of comparable ability and grade level.

23  Accordingly, in developing the individualized education

24  program for a child who is blind or visually impaired,

25  provision must be made for instruction in braille and the use

26  of braille unless the team developing the individualized

27  education program unanimously agrees, after an evaluation of

28  the child's reading and writing skills, needs, and appropriate

29  reading and writing media, including, but not limited to, an

30  evaluation of the child's future needs for instruction in

31  braille or the use of braille, that such instruction or use is

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1720
    12-547-07




 1  not appropriate for the child proficiency in reading and

 2  writing braille shall be considered during the individualized

 3  planning and assessment processes in this context. This

 4  section does not require the exclusive use of braille if other

 5  special education services are appropriate to the child's

 6  educational needs. The provision of appropriate services must

 7  not preclude braille use or instruction.

 8         (b)  Instruction in braille reading and writing must be

 9  sufficient to enable each blind or visually impaired child to

10  communicate effectively and efficiently with the same level of

11  proficiency expected of the child's peers of comparable

12  ability and grade level. The child's individualized education

13  program must specify:

14         1.  The results obtained from the evaluations required

15  under paragraph (a);

16         2.  How braille will be implemented as the primary mode

17  for learning through integration with other classroom

18  activities;

19         3.  The date on which braille instruction will

20  commence;

21         4.  The length of the period of instruction and the

22  frequency and duration of each instructional session;

23         5.  The level of competency in braille reading and

24  writing to be achieved by the end of the period and the

25  objective assessment measures to be used; and

26         6.  If a decision has been made under paragraph (a)

27  that braille instruction or use is not required for the child:

28         a.  That the decision was reached after a review of

29  pertinent literature describing the educational benefits of

30  braille instruction and use; and

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1720
    12-547-07




 1         b.  The evidence used to determine that the child's

 2  ability to read and write effectively without special

 3  education services is not impaired.

 4         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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 7                          SENATE SUMMARY

 8    Provides that instruction in braille must be part of the
      individualized education program for a child who is blind
 9    or visually impaired. Provides exceptions and conditions
      to that requirement. Provides standards for such
10    instruction and specifies contents of the individualized
      education program.
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