Annual Registration of All Students Classified as Legally Blind for Procurement of Special Media Materials Produced by the American Printing House for the Blind
Annual Registration of All Students Classified as Legally Blind for Procurement of Special Media Materials Produced by the American Printing House for the Blind - PDF 
(211 KB)
December 2013
Special Education Field Advisory
FROM:
James P. DeLorenzo
SUBJECT:
Annual Registration of All Students Classified as Legally Blind for Procurement of Special Media Materials Produced by the American Printing House for the Blind
The annual American Printing House for the Blind (APH) census program is administered by the New York State Resource Center (NYSRC) located in Batavia, New York. Attached are forms and instructions for the annual census of NEW students who are legally blind. Please do not reregister a student if the student has been previously registered. If you are unsure about a student’s registration status, please contact the NYSRC at (585) 343-5384, extension 207. Your cooperation in designating one person for this process is appreciated, and will help to eliminate duplication of registrations.
The census is used to determine New York State's (NYS) eligibility for Federal Quota Funds for special media materials produced by APH. A catalog of APH materials is available at www.aph.org
. Materials are available to the school the student attends if he/she is enrolled as of January 2, 2014. The attached registration form must be completed and returned no later than March 1, 2014. No registrations can be submitted after that deadline.
Eligibility for Federal Quota Registration
In order for students to be eligible for registration in the Federal Quota Program, they MUST meet the requirements as outlined in An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. Students must:
- meet the definition of blindness--"central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best correction; a peripheral field so contracted that the widest diameter of such field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees; or visual performance reduced by a brain injury or dysfunction when visual function meets the definition of blindness as determined by an eye care specialist or neurologist."
- be enrolled in a formally organized public or private, nonprofit educational program of less than college level.
- be enrolled with the registering school or agency on the first Monday in January.
The educational programs providing services to these students can include public, private, and parochial schools.
There is NO chronological age limit for eligibility. The federal law limits registration to persons working at less than college level, but places no restriction on the ages of eligible students.
Eligibility of Adults
The Board of Trustees of the APH, at its 1985 Annual Meeting, approved a resolution which requires that students in education programs but not enrolled in grade 12 or below--MUST "have a written instruction plan and be enrolled in and attend, on a regular basis, an instructional program of at least 20 hours of instruction per week. Social and leisure programs do not qualify as instructional programs."
Eligibility of Infants, Preschool Children, and Homebound Students
Eligible infants, preschool children, and homebound students can be registered if they are enrolled in a formally organized, regularly scheduled educational or training program and have a written education plan.
Eligibility of Students Who Are Home Schooled
In order for blind students enrolled in home-school programs to prove eligible for registration in the Federal Quota Program, the home-school program should meet guidelines and/or procedures in effect within each individual state.
The attached form should be used only for legally blind students who were NOT PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED. Separate instructions with lists of students who were previously registered are being sent from the NYSRC.
- For eligible students in public school programs in New York City, forms must be returned to: Educational Vision Services Unit, 400 First Avenue, New York, New York 10010, phone (917) 256-4228.
- Students enrolled at the NYS School for the Blind in Batavia, Lavelle School for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, and the New York Institute for Special Education are registered through their own Ex-Officio Trustees and should NOT be sent to the NYSRC.
- For all other schools and for those in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, NEW registration forms should be returned by fax or mail to:
New York State Resource Center- APH
2A Richmond Avenue
Batavia, New York 14020
Fax: (585) 343-0652
(If you are unsure about your student’s registration status, please contact the NYSRC at (585) 343-5384, extension 207.)
Failure to provide all requested information accurately may invalidate the form and delay the process of registration. Please note the following:
- Infants and preschoolers identified as visual, Braille, or auditory readers should be reported using the appropriate media code.
- All eligible individuals over 21 years of age must be registered "AD" in grade.
Federal Quota Funds vary annually depending upon congressional appropriation and the total national registration. Under the provisions of the Federal Act to Promote the Education of Blind Children, these quota allocations are not cash payments but are bookkeeping entries credited against the NYS account.
It is recommended that districts assign the responsibility of ordering materials to one person who can also act as a contact between the local district/agency and the NYSRC to track the orders and use of the district's total allotment. Orders for books and materials on the quota allocation should contain the:
- name of the student who will receive the materials and student's school address.
- name and telephone number of the local district/agency contact person.
- catalog number(s), price(s), and the net amount(s).
All orders should be submitted to NYSRC. All requested information MUST be included or the order may be returned causing a delay in the arrival of materials.
Materials acquired with Federal Quota Funds are NYS property. Any questions regarding procedures for ordering APH materials may be referred to NYSRC, at the above address or by telephone at (585) 343-5384, extension 207.
REMINDER: Obtaining instructional materials in alternative formats is a process that requires sufficient lead time and clear and timely communication among school personnel. Orders should be placed as soon as possible so students have access to their instructional materials in a timely manner. Generally, it takes approximately three to four months for texts to be converted to large print. It takes an average of three to six months for straight literary text (without math, special symbols or graphics) to be converted to Braille. Mathematics, music, science, social studies or other textbooks containing symbols, maps, graphs and other graphics take an average of six to nine months or longer to produce, as these require special braille codes and hand-created tactile graphic representations or verbal descriptions of graphics that are not reproducible in tactile form. For textbooks containing higher level mathematics and science or social studies, especially those with many graphics, it may be necessary to provide a course syllabus along with the textbook request, containing the planned dates for the chapters or pages to be covered, in order to assure that the materials needed first are available in time.
Primary Language of Learner
Please be sure to check the box on the registration form that determines your student’s primary language.
Who is eligible?
The determination of eligible students and the distribution of materials available to them on Federal Quota follows a distinctive and very effective model. In order to determine who is eligible for Federal Quota materials, an annual national census is taken. The effective date of this registration is the first Monday in January of each year for infants, preschool, and school-aged students. Adult students must have been enrolled in a documented instructional program for a minimum of twelve weeks during the preceding calendar year.
For students to be eligible to participate in the Federal Quota Program, they MUST fulfill the following requirements:
- Meet the definition of blindness (MDB) — that is, have a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best correction or a peripheral field of vision no greater than 20 degrees
OR
function at the definition of blindness (FDB) when visual performance is reduced by a brain injury or dysfunction when visual function meets the definition of blindness as determined by an eye care specialist or neurologist. Students in this category manifest unique visual characteristics often found in conditions referred to as neurological, cortical, or cerebral visual impairment.
- Be enrolled in a formally organized public or private, nonprofit educational program of less than college level.
- Infants, preschool, and school-aged students must be enrolled with the registering school or agency on the first Monday in January. Adult students must be registered for at least 12 weeks of documented instruction during the preceding calendar year (12 weeks do not have to be consecutive).
The University of the State of New York
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF P-12 EDUCATION: Office of Special Education
New York State Resource Center for Visually Impaired
2A Richmond Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020
(585) 343-5384 / FAX (585) 343-0652
2013-14 REGISTRATION FORM FOR CHILDREN CLASSIFIED AS LEGALLY BLIND
(Central Visual Acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye after correction or a field of vision restricted to a 20 degree arc or less)
Name of Student - (Last) (First) (M.I.)
Date of Birth - Month Day Year
Sex: Male Female Grade (refer to Definition Reporting Codes in memo)
District or Agency where individuals receive special services for the visually impaired during school hours:
Name: Address: Public Private
Phone: ( )
Fax: ( )
E-mail:
District of Residence (Home District)
Student’s VISUAL ACUITY based upon an existing report of an eye specialist (optometrist, oculist or ophthalmologist)
MDB _
FDB __
Indicate the student’s ONE PRIMARY AND ALL SECONDARY READING MEDIUMS in the spaces at the right using the appropriate letter:
Primary ___
2nd ___
VISUAL READER – uses regular OR large print . . .V
BRAILLE READER – uses Braille . . . B
AUDITORY READER – uses reader OR recorded material ..A
PREREADER – readiness level OR medium undetermined ...P
NONREADER – does not fall into any above category . . . N
Primary Language of Learner:
English ___
Spanish ___
Other ___
PERSON COMPLETING THIS FORM
Name Title
School District
Phone ( )
Email
Fax ( )