DeKALB COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Stone Mountain, GA)

The DeKalb County School System serves students of every exceptionality. A full continuum of services is available to each these students. Access to related services, special athletic programs, and general education activities and options are considered for all special education students.

The Goal of the Program for Students who are Visually Impaired is to provide comprehensive and appropriate services in the least restrictive environment to those children in the DeKalb County School System who meet eligibility requirements for Visual Impairments under Georgia State Rules.

Definitions: A child with a visual impairment is one whose vision, even with correction, adversely impacts a child’s educational performance. Examples are children whose visual impairments may result from congenital defects, eye diseases, or injuries to the eye. The term includes both visual impairment and blindness as follows:

1. Blind refers to a child whose visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye after correction or who has a limitation in the field of vision that subtends an angle of 20 degrees. Some children who are legally blind have useful vision and may read print.
2. Visually impaired refers to a child whose visual acuity falls within the range of 20/70 to 20/200 in the better eye after correction or who have a limitation in the field of vision that adversely impacts educational progress. * Progressive visual disorders: Children, whose current visual acuity is greater than 20/70, but who have a medically indicated expectation of visual deterioration may be considered for vision impaired eligibility based on documentation of the visual deterioration from the child’s optometrist or ophthalmologist.