The Expanded Core Curriculum at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired: A case study

This case study investigated how the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) was taught to high school students who are blind or visually impaired at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI). The study focused on three students pursing different academic tracks with varying degrees of vision. The students were observed throughout their school day and during residential time. Following the students through the day brought to light the instructional strategies that the teachers used to assist them in mastering the components of the ECC. Differences were apparent between the components of the ECC taught in the classes where students were working towards a certificate of completion and classes where students were working towards a diploma. Students who were working on a certificate of completion focused on independent living skills, recreation and leisure skills and social skills. Students working towards a diploma received more instruction in compensatory skills, visual efficiency skills and assistive technology skills; the one ECC component that was consistently instructed to all students was instruction in orientation and mobility. Four themes emerged from analyses of the observations and interview data: 1) the time needed to provide the instruction, 2) to whom does the responsibility fall for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), 3) the level of preparedness of students who attend ISBVI; and, 4) differences in opportunities for students in academic vs. life skills classrooms in ECC instruction.