The Vision Support Service is part of the Education Outreach Services and we work to promote inclusion and improve outcomes for children and young people across Shetland.
We work with children and young people with visual impairments from birth up to age 19 and with children who have additional support needs of which a visual impairment is a contributing factor.
Working in partnership with schools and support services we provide advice, training and adapted materials to early education and school staff to help deliver the curriculum to children and young people with visual impairments. We also work with parents, carers and families to provide support and resources for their young child in the home.
We provide:
- functional assessment of vision in the home and educational setting
- advice, support and vision awareness training for parents and carers, health professionals, early years staff and all relevant school staff
- advice and support for children and young people with visual impairments and their peer groups
- adaptation and modification of materials for individual children
- advice on special arrangements for exams
- specialist teaching in Braille
- transposing text into Braille
- loan of a limited range of specialist equipment and large print library books
- training in the use of specialist equipment
- linked working practices in line with Getting It Right For Every Child
- advice on additional specialist services working in the field of visual impairment
Requests for involvement can be made through schools, health professionals and other agencies (following parent and/or child/young person consent) or parents/carers.