School accommodation for vision issues?

[Anonymous]

DD9 is very farsighted and has amblyopia. She patched from age 2.5 until sometime in first grade; although she has a high prescription, her eyes now work fairly well together and she can see 3D. We thought all of her vision issues were controlled. However, last week she told us that she has trouble with the school computer screens. Her SOL test results were lower than expected based on her performance in written work last year -- she said her eyes got tired during the computer testing and the words jumped around on the screen. She said they would not let her increase the font size (which we encourage at home).

I now have a note from her ophthalmologist requesting paper testing and permission to increase the font size for computer work. What do I need to do to seek a formal accommodation for her vision issues?

[Anonymous]

My advice is to get the formal accommodation because you do not want to have to rely upon individual school staff to determine whether/when she needs the accommodation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My advice is to get the formal accommodation because you do not want to have to rely upon individual school staff to determine whether/when she needs the accommodation.

This, can you also get her computer glasses. My husband uses them and likes them He got them at Costco. Its a specific lens so don't let someone sell you a tinted lens as an equal as it isn't. You can buy any frame and bring it to them.

[Anonymous]

OP send the information from the opthalmologist and a letter requesting a 504 plan to accommodate the vision disability of amblyopia.

[Anonymous]

Adding -- send the letter to the principal and guidance counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP send the information from the opthalmologist and a letter requesting a 504 plan to accommodate the vision disability of amblyopia.

+1 you can also get audio textbooks and a reader if that doesn’t work.

[Anonymous]

You want a 504 to document those accomodations. Your eye doctor can write a letter. Send an email to the principal and teacher requesting a meeting to develop a 504.

And not to derail your thread.... but other than patching did you do anything else? Vision therapy or any other treatments? DD has similar issues and doesn't have 3D vision and still has a lot of eye teaming issues. (She's 6)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP send the information from the opthalmologist and a letter requesting a 504 plan to accommodate the vision disability of amblyopia.

+1 you can also get audio textbooks and a reader if that doesn’t work.

If you are in mCPS, your DC can be qualified for Bookshare which provides acces to tons of books electronically - including many textbooks. You can change font size and color and even use a text to speech function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP send the information from the opthalmologist and a letter requesting a 504 plan to accommodate the vision disability of amblyopia.

+1 you can also get audio textbooks and a reader if that doesn’t work.

If you are in mCPS, your DC can be qualified for Bookshare which provides acces to tons of books electronically - including many textbooks. You can change font size and color and even use a text to speech function.

Also Learning Ally

[Anonymous]

Hi 15:58 - OP here. We did do a number of things in addition to patching. I know eye therapy is controversial, but DD saw Dr. Kavita Malhotra for several years. Dr. Malhotra is wonderful. We could not afford the in office eye therapy, but Dr. Malhotra gave us games to do at home (picking up small items with chopsticks, throwing socks into a container, etc.) and we did these religiously, probably 5 times a week. DD also was in gymnastics (baby gymnastics, definitely not team) from ages 3-5 as a form of eye therapy - see https://forlittleeyes.com/2010/12/21/gymnastics-as-vision-therapy-kamerin-moore-as-inspiration/. She hated it, but I think it helped. I think she started seeing 3D around 4 or 5 -- she recently told us she was in Pre-K the first time she looked at a tree and realized it was not just flat and green.

Thank you to all who posted! I started looking at the 504 materials on the FCPS website yesterday and did not know where to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi 15:58 - OP here. We did do a number of things in addition to patching. I know eye therapy is controversial, but DD saw Dr. Kavita Malhotra for several years. Dr. Malhotra is wonderful. We could not afford the in office eye therapy, but Dr. Malhotra gave us games to do at home (picking up small items with chopsticks, throwing socks into a container, etc.) and we did these religiously, probably 5 times a week. DD also was in gymnastics (baby gymnastics, definitely not team) from ages 3-5 as a form of eye therapy - see https://forlittleeyes.com/2010/12/21/gymnastics-as-vision-therapy-kamerin-moore-as-inspiration/. She hated it, but I think it helped. I think she started seeing 3D around 4 or 5 -- she recently told us she was in Pre-K the first time she looked at a tree and realized it was not just flat and green.

Thank you to all who posted! I started looking at the 504 materials on the FCPS website yesterday and did not know where to start.

wrightslaw.com can be helpful for explaining 504s and IEPs and the process.

[Anonymous]

Simpler overview of 504 request process here https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/7-steps-to-getting-a-504-plan-for-your-child

Also just google sample letters requesting 504. You may not find one for vision issues but you can adapt that section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi 15:58 - OP here. We did do a number of things in addition to patching. I know eye therapy is controversial, but DD saw Dr. Kavita Malhotra for several years. Dr. Malhotra is wonderful. We could not afford the in office eye therapy, but Dr. Malhotra gave us games to do at home (picking up small items with chopsticks, throwing socks into a container, etc.) and we did these religiously, probably 5 times a week. DD also was in gymnastics (baby gymnastics, definitely not team) from ages 3-5 as a form of eye therapy - see https://forlittleeyes.com/2010/12/21/gymnastics-as-vision-therapy-kamerin-moore-as-inspiration/. She hated it, but I think it helped. I think she started seeing 3D around 4 or 5 -- she recently told us she was in Pre-K the first time she looked at a tree and realized it was not just flat and green.

Thank you to all who posted! I started looking at the 504 materials on the FCPS website yesterday and did not know where to start.

Thanks!
DD is 6 and still doesn't have 3D. We did vision therapy for 8 months and stopped in May - mostly because we knew we'd be traveling and have an inconsistent schedule this summer. Now trying to figure out if it's worthwhile to start again in the school year. It's so hard to know if it was really making a difference. There is *no question* that she has better spatial awareness now than she did when she started.
I'm intrigued by gymnastics - sounds like it might be a fun thing to try! (She did it once when she was 4 and hated it!)

[Anonymous]

OP here - thank you all for the information! This is very helpful.