The Oregon Project
The Oregon Project, Sixth Edition has several significant changes and additions. We’re currently working on the 7th edition.
- More than 200 skills have been added
- Newly designed recordkeeping with the ability to use a computer to graph the child’s developmental profile
- New teaching activities for every skill
- An expanded resource section with glossaries and a comprehensive listing of beneficial educational materials
- Comprehensive list of agencies serving children who are blind or visually impaired
- Instruction for making toys and teaching materials
The Oregon Project for Preschool Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired (The OR Project) is a comprehensive assessment and curriculum designed for use with children birth to six who are blind or visually impaired. It can be used by parents, teachers, vision specialists, or counselors in the home or in the classroom setting.
The sixth edition of the OR Project includes several significant changes. Approximately 200 additional skills were added, totaling more than 800 distinct developmental skills, each with corresponding teaching activities. This new edition provides computer graphing of an individual child’s profile to clearly depict the child’s strengths and areas for instruction. The OR Project can be used with any child functioning at developmental levels between birth and six years.
The Oregon Project consists of a:
- Manual
- Teaching Activities
- Reference Section
- Skills Inventory
The MANUAL contains instructions and procedures which will make best use of The OR Project materials. It includes a philosophical overview of the education and teaching of preschool children who are blind or visually impaired.
The TEACHING ACTIVITIES include ideas for each skill taught either in the home or classroom setting. They are suggestions for the parent and teaching staff, not designed as step-by-step “recipes,” but rather, as starting points for instruction. The skills and activities can serve as frameworks for writing prescriptive programs to fulfill IFSP/IEP objectives.
The REFERENCE SECTION includes a Glossary of educational and vision terms needed by those working with children who are visually impaired, a list of references, resources for obtaining educational materials and literature, things to make and do, articles on play and development, and blank copies of all the forms, checklists, and informal evaluations which can be copied and used.
The SKILLS INVENTORY consists of more than 800 behavioral statements, organized in eight developmental areas:
| Cognitive | Language | Compensatory | Vision |
| Self-Help | Social | Fine Motor | Gross Motor |
Skills have been developmentally sequenced and arranged in age categories. All major skills needed by a child who is blind or visually impaired are included. The Skills Inventory is a criterion-referenced assessment, and enables educators to find the performance level, select long and short-term objectives, and record the acquisition of information from a completed OR Project Skills Inventory.
Resources for Parents of Blind Children
Blind Children’s Center
http://www.blindchildrenscenter.org/index.php
They provide a series of booklets to parents free of charge on topics including: dealing with the feelings surrounding a diagnosis of visual impairment in a child, encouraging mobility, teaching play skills and aiding the development of language and social skills. Address: 4120 Marathon Street; Los Angeles, CA 90029;
323-664-2153
Blindness Resource Center
http://www.nyise.org/blind.htm
This site has over 200 links related to blindness and the use of computers by persons with low vision. Categories include: access to the Internet and Web, Deaf-Blindness, Research and Innovation, Vendors and much more.
Hadley School for the Blind
http://www.hadley.edu/
Hadley is a tuition-free correspondence school with a variety of courses for both parent and child education, including Reach Out and Teach, a parent-directed teaching program for young children with visual impairments. The instructors offer personalized assistance to parents and provide information about their resources. Hadley publishes the newsletter, In Touch. Address: 700 Elm Street; Winnetka, IL 60093;
800-323-4238
Lighthouse National Center for Vision and Child Development
http://www.lighthouse.org/
The Lighthouse establishes connections between families, the vision care system, special education programs, and health and education networks. These services include early childhood and preschool education, career counseling and placement, low vision services, training in the use of information technology, such as computers, adaptive skills and orientation and mobility training. Address: 11 E. 59th Street; New York, NY 10022;
800-334-5497
Institute for Families
http://www.instituteforfamilies.org/
Offers support and information to families of children who have received a diagnosis of cancer or other diseases that may impact vision. Provides multilingual consultation and direct counseling support to families at no cost after a diagnosis is made. Offers nation-wide telephone counseling service. Publishes Retinoblastoma Support News and Parent to Parent as well as the book My Fake Eye, the Story of My Prosthesis. Address: 4650 Sunset Blvd, Mail Stop 111, Los Angeles, CA 90027;
323-361-4649
National Association of Parents of the Visually Impaired (NAPVI)
http://www.lighthouseguild.org/napvi
Offers emotional support for parents of blind or visually-impaired children. Provides information, training and assistance, and help in understanding and using available resources. The association will direct parents to a local NAPVI support group. Address: P.O. Box 317; Watertown, MA 02272;
212-769-7819
Resource Organizations
American Council of the Blind
http://www.acb.org/
One of the major organizations of the blind in the United States. They offer a wide variety of services to individuals with visual impairments and publish the Braille Forum and resource lists. Address: 2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 650, Arlington, VA 22201-3354
800-424-8666
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
http://www.afb.org/
Provides information on visual impairments and blindness and on services AFB offers, products, and publications. Address: 2 Penn Plaza, Suite 1102; New York, NY 10121
212-502-7600
American Printing House for the Blind
http://www.aph.org/
Produces many educational items for blind and visually impaired students. They have an extensive catalog. Address: 1839 Frankfort Avenue, P.O. Box 6085, Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
502-895-2405
National Braille Press
http://www.nbp.org/
A braille press that produces and sells braille books for the same price as ink-print books. They have a children’s book club to encourage the development of literacy skills. Address: 88 Saint Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115
888-965-8965
National Federation of the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/
One of the major organizations of the blind in the United States. They provide a wide variety of services to people with visual impairments and publish the Braille Monitor and Future Reflections (for parents). They distribute a catalog of publications available in large print, braille or audiocassette, and a catalog of aids and appliances. Address: 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
http://www.loc.gov/nls/
Provides free library service to individuals with visual or physical impairments. They offer braille and large print materials and recorded books and periodicals. Address: Library of Congress; 1291 Taylor Street, NW; Washington, DC 20542
202-707-5100
Do-It
http://www.uw.edu/doit/
A disability resource center from the University of Washington. Address: University of Washington
Box 354842, Seattle, WA 98195-4842
206-685-DOIT (3648)
Learning Ally
http://www.learningally.org/
A provider of recorded and electronic text to both individuals and educational organizations. Contact Learning Ally for free recorded books for blind students. Address: 20 Rozel Road; Princeton, NJ 08540
800-221-4792