Information for Parents and Carers of Children with - Dundee City ...

MULTI-SENSORY SERVICE
BLIND/VISUALLY IMPAIRED SECTOR
The Multi-Sensory Service is an educational support service for children who have a sensory
loss, i.e. blind, deaf.
The Service for blind, visually impaired children is staffed by teachers and classroom
assistants who undertake additional qualifications in this specialism.
The aim of the Service is to work with the VI child, parents and educational establishments
to aid the child in reaching his/her full potential, i.e. intellectually, socially and emotionally.
The Service works across the continuum of need and accepts referrals from statutory
agents, voluntary agents and parents/carers.
The Service works with a wide range of children from babies to school leavers and works in
a variety of educational placements as well as in the child's home (for pre-school children).
The VI Sector consists of:
I. Peripatetic Provision
II. Enhanced Provision
Peripatetic - Visiting Teachers
The visiting teacher works with the full range from babies to school leavers. As such she is
the contact person for the service for all referrals from statutory, voluntary as well as
parents/carers.
The majority of children with a visual impairment attend their local school and it is the aim of
the teacher of the visually impaired to support school and home to ensure maximum support
for the child.
Enhanced Provision
There are two in the primary and secondary sectors currently at Craigiebarns Primary and
Craigie High School, Dundee. These serve those children whose needs, at any given stage
of their education, cannot be fully met within their local mainstream schools. This offers the
children the advantages of the on-site specialist teachers, individual and small group
teaching within the resource base, access to a wide range of acquired resources as well as
specialist equipment, individual programmes of work and inclusion in mainstream class
where appropriate. The specialist enhanced provision affords children the advantages of
both sighted and visually impaired peers.
Information Pack – Children’s Services 34