3rd Workshop on Training of Teachers of the Visually Impaired in Europe,
Warsaw, Poland, 3 - 6 April 2002
by mr Harry Svensson
The Education Act includes all children. The local educational authority is responsible for the education of all children. The concept "special school" is no longer found in the Education Act.
Staff
All teachers are employed by the local educational authority. Through the Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education the state (national government) offers the local authorities and independent schools support by advisers on special needs education (itinerant teachers), resource centres and production of educational materials for the visually impaired student.
The resource centre offers courses for teachers working in local schools.
Equipment
All equipment needed at school or at home is supplied by the 34 Low Vision clinics operated by the County Councils. Some counties has recently decided that the school should pay for a standard PC while the Low Vision clinic supplies free of charge the additional software/hardware needed by the visually impaired student.
Textbooks in braille/large print
Textbooks in braille, digital textbooks and textbooks on tape are produced by the Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education at their educational materials centre in Solna.
Large print textbooks are no longer produced in Sweden. The student is instead encourage to use optical aids supplied by the Low Vision clinic.
Lessons in O&M, ADL, Social skills
O&M training is offered by the Low Vision clinic.
ADL and social skills are taught by the local teacher based on the advices given by the advisers on special needs education or the resource centre. A few Low Vision clinics have from time to time had special gatherings for ADL.
The special schools have been transformed into resource centres supporting the students in local schools, their teachers and parents.
Do they receive special training?
Yes, the great majority of them have a degree in special education (visual impairment) from the Stockholm Institute of Education.
Where are they based?
At the offices of the Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education.
How is the ratio itinerant teachers / number of children?
No figures available at present due to reorganization and vacant positions.
Some years ago there were 30 advisers working with the pre-school children (age 0 to 7) and 30 working with the students from 7 and upwards.
What is their task at the mainstream school?
To work as an adviser to the local school, i.e. the headmaster and the teachers.
Do they have a task with respect to the parents?
Especially the advisers working with pre-school children have had very close contacts with the parents. The support system is now under change and all advisers shall work at the request of the local educational authority or school.
The only specialisation in visual impairment is given by the Stockholm Institute of Education.
The resource centre gives shorter courses for teachers.
A major change in the state (government) support took place on July 1st, 2001, with the establishment of a Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education. A number of government agencies involved in supporting children and young people with disabilities were merged into the new institute, e.g. Swedish Agency for Special Needs Education (SIH), Tomteboda Resource Centre (TRC) and Ekeskolan Resource Centre (ERC).
The two previous resource centres are no one unit within the agency called Resource Centre Vision but still located in two places (Stockholm and Örebro).
The school section for v.i. students with additional disabilities at ERC at the same time. However, all students accepted before July 1st 2001 are guaranteed to fulfil their education up to the 10th grade at the school.
In the future Resource Centre Vision Örebro will offer students from local schools a possibility to stay at the centre for an extended training visit. How long such a visit can be is under consideration by a government committee.
The "field support" offered by the advisers on special needs education (itinerant teachers) is based on five regions. As the local educational authority is responsible for all children, the advisers (as well as the rest of the new institute) shall step in when the local authority asks for assistance.
When a position as an adviser (working with v.i.) becomes vacant there is no guarantee that the successor will have the same duties. The vacant position can very well be used to improve the services within the region for another group of students with special education needs.
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