Optimal Evaluation Method for Students with Visual Impairments

Welcome back, podcast friends! Last week, we dove into some personal topics, but this week, let’s re-focus. Grab your coffee—I’ll grab mine—and let’s talk about optimal evaluation methods for students with visual impairments. These methods are designed to help Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists, as well as Vision Impairment (VI) specialists. If you’re a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) or Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS), this might resonate with you too. And hey, if it works—or doesn’t—let me know. Feedback is everything!

Common Evaluation Mistakes

When planning lessons, we don’t always focus on evaluations done years ago. Yet, those assessments are crucial—they should be the foundation driving today’s lessons. Many struggling teachers unknowingly conduct evaluations that are incomplete, overly subjective, or mere checklists. Let’s change that!

Bias in Evaluations

A recurring issue is confirmation bias. People often repeat what they’ve always done because no one challenges their methods. I’ve seen this firsthand. Teaching at a school with high turnover, I reviewed 90 cases in 10 years. Many evaluations, while well-intentioned, missed the mark.

If you're like most itinerant TVIs or O&M specialists, you may rely on evaluations written by colleagues in the same district, where similar training shapes everyone’s approach. While consistency can be good, it can also lead to stagnation.

The Foundation of a Good Evaluation

A strong evaluation is the starting point. Without a clear path laid out in an assessment, it’s hard to progress effectively. Think of it as plotting a flight path. Even being one degree off at the start can result in landing far from your destination.

Here’s the challenge:

• Do you write a quick checklist, assuming you’ll recall everything three years later?
• Or spend hours crafting a long, detailed report, knowing it might never be read in full?

I’ve been in both situations. Whenever I felt stuck as a teacher, it traced back to gaps in the evaluation.

Keeping Evaluations Objective

An evaluation is a snapshot of your learner’s current skills. To keep it objective:

1. Document what’s observable. Imagine someone videotaping your session. What would they see? This removes subjective perceptions.
2. Avoid the "lesson of the lamp." This concept suggests that 20 people can interpret the same object differently based on their experiences. Don’t let past experiences cloud your judgment of a learner’s progress.
3. Focus on the data. Use tools like the New Mexico inventory, Google Forms, or other data-collection methods during evaluations.

The Optimal Evaluation Method

My approach, the Optimal Evaluation Method, emphasizes efficiency and thoroughness. Here are key elements:

Macro to Micro Perspective

Start broad and narrow down:

• Macro: Observe the environment—lighting, sounds, and surroundings.
• Micro: Evaluate specific skills within those environments.

For example, instead of just noting "Learner can cross the street," assess their abilities under varied conditions like rain, construction, or heavy traffic.

Plan Ahead

• Gather background information before meeting the learner.
• Mix and match environments to test adaptability.
• Keep evaluations concise but impactful. My reports are 6–8 pages with spaced sentences for easy skimming.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Injecting personal perceptions into evaluations.
2. Spending too long on the process without a clear framework.
3. Skipping data collection or failing to observe learners in varied settings.

Next Steps

This was a quick overview. For a deeper dive, check out our signature course, Impacting Independence. You’ll learn how to elevate your evaluations, create actionable goals, and streamline lesson planning—all without burnout.

Upcoming Free Training
Join us on April 7 for "21st Century Collaboration Methods." We’ll cover how to role-release, engage coworkers, and celebrate learners’ successes—all while earning ACVREP-accredited hours. Sign up at alliedindependenceonline.com/training

Feeling overwhelmed by lesson planning? Your Allied Independence community has your back. Download 8 free remote O&M lesson plans at alliedindependenceonline.com/remote. Spend less time planning and more time teaching—because that’s what you do best.

See you next week, same time, same place. Let’s step forward together!

Useful Resources:

• Explore the IOMOS Priority List to stay ahead in your O&M practice.
• Join the Clarity Workshop for in-depth training and actionable strategies.
• Register for the TVI Symposium  to connect with fellow educators and learn from experts in the field.