Help Improve VI Students Inclusion
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Hello!
Thank you for giving this new nonprofit organization your time and consideration! Equal Access Collaborative is the brain child of founder Kathy Alstrin of Sewickley, PA. Alstrin is a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI), a certified orientation and mobility specialist or COMS (think cane travel), an early interventionist, consultant, education coach, and all around highly qualified special educator specializing in visual impairment and blindness.
Who We Are
The Equal Access Collaborative launched as a nonprofit in the state of Pennsylvania in July, 2018. After simmering as an ember in the head of the founder, the idea was finally exposed to air and took off like a wildfire! Support and excitement among families and professionals is
uncontainable. We have revived our 501c3 approval and are operating fully as a nonprofit. Our intention to be fully operational by January 1, 2019.
What We Do
The Equal Access Collaborative is a modern organization. We have a virtual headquarters allowing the perfect professionals to work together through the internet from across the United States. This helps to secure our presence in every state so that our efforts toward improving inclusion will be deeply impactful. The organization is comprised of four legs of membership. The board of directors is comprised of those with business acumen, parents who have fought the system and won, and professionals that are passionate about change. Our board is lean and nimble. Currently, we are working with a board of 3 with a maximum of 6 members allowed. Our advocacy team works under supervision of the founder. We will soon begin meeting regularly, again virtually, to collaborate on cases. We work as a powerful team to create an educational plan for the student that will ensure success while educating the family and school about policy, law, and evidence-based practices. Our goal is to not be adversarial. We strive to partner with teams across the US to transform school culture to be more inclusive. Our administrative team will also be lean and nimble. We are currently interviewing staff for this team of what will hopefully soon be five professionals. Last, we have our committees. Without these cheerleaders and volunteers, we wouldn’t be who we are. Of course, we haven’t forgotten about our clients!
Why This Matters
Currently, advocacy is an industry run largely by for profit entities. Advocacy cases that go to due process can cost tens of thousands of tax-payer dollars. Advocates are often uncredentialled as there is no credential needed to become an advocate. Special education advocates, even those who are well credentialed, often claim to represent students with visual impairments. However, we find that individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with
vision loss are significantly different than the average student with an IEP. 100% of the IEPs we review that have received the “stamp of approval” from other general special education professionals are dismally inappropriate for true academic success. The success rate of students with visual impairments is unnecessarily poor. This is largely due to poor inclusion. Schools simply do not understand what is required to provide equal access to a traditionally visual
education for students who cannot see it. They simply do not know what they do not know. Unfortunately, due to staffing shortages they often place a warm body in the role of TVI and slap an emergency certificate on them and call them district visual impairment expert. Clearly, this leads to disastrous results. Educating the student following the typical types and amounts of services that other children in special education get leads to illiteracy and poor future outcomes. We want our students to be productive, independent tax payers. Honestly, there is no reason this cannot happen! However, the school with its tight budget often needs to receive a solid lesson in policy, the law and research to get on board with an appropriately ambitious education. Blind individuals that receive an appropriate education go on to be PhDs and chairsof corporations.
Our Mission
The mission of the Equal Access Collaborative is to help families self-advocate and stand by their side when a partner is needed. We help families gain confidence and understanding about appropriate inclusion for their child with visual impairment/blindness.
Our Future Vision
The vision of the Equal Access Collaborative is to promote culture shift that improves inclusion. Through educational leadership we aspire to ensure the appropriately ambitious education that students with visual impairments are entitled to.
Our Hope
We hope to earn your trust. We exploded with volunteers within the first week of being open. Our first fundraiser met its goal within 5 hours of launching! The votes of confidence amongst
visual impairment professionals are strong. The appreciation from families and teachers is palpable. We hope you will feel moved enough to add us to your list of charities you donate to annually. Donations are tax deductible. So, donors should be confident in making a deductible contribution. We are also seeking board members to replace the founding
board who will move on to administrative employment with the organization by January, 2019. Volunteers and members for our committees are always welcomed! The students and families thank you!
Thank you for giving this new nonprofit organization your time and consideration! Equal Access Collaborative is the brain child of founder Kathy Alstrin of Sewickley, PA. Alstrin is a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI), a certified orientation and mobility specialist or COMS (think cane travel), an early interventionist, consultant, education coach, and all around highly qualified special educator specializing in visual impairment and blindness.
Who We Are
The Equal Access Collaborative launched as a nonprofit in the state of Pennsylvania in July, 2018. After simmering as an ember in the head of the founder, the idea was finally exposed to air and took off like a wildfire! Support and excitement among families and professionals is
uncontainable. We have revived our 501c3 approval and are operating fully as a nonprofit. Our intention to be fully operational by January 1, 2019.
What We Do
The Equal Access Collaborative is a modern organization. We have a virtual headquarters allowing the perfect professionals to work together through the internet from across the United States. This helps to secure our presence in every state so that our efforts toward improving inclusion will be deeply impactful. The organization is comprised of four legs of membership. The board of directors is comprised of those with business acumen, parents who have fought the system and won, and professionals that are passionate about change. Our board is lean and nimble. Currently, we are working with a board of 3 with a maximum of 6 members allowed. Our advocacy team works under supervision of the founder. We will soon begin meeting regularly, again virtually, to collaborate on cases. We work as a powerful team to create an educational plan for the student that will ensure success while educating the family and school about policy, law, and evidence-based practices. Our goal is to not be adversarial. We strive to partner with teams across the US to transform school culture to be more inclusive. Our administrative team will also be lean and nimble. We are currently interviewing staff for this team of what will hopefully soon be five professionals. Last, we have our committees. Without these cheerleaders and volunteers, we wouldn’t be who we are. Of course, we haven’t forgotten about our clients!
Why This Matters
Currently, advocacy is an industry run largely by for profit entities. Advocacy cases that go to due process can cost tens of thousands of tax-payer dollars. Advocates are often uncredentialled as there is no credential needed to become an advocate. Special education advocates, even those who are well credentialed, often claim to represent students with visual impairments. However, we find that individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with
vision loss are significantly different than the average student with an IEP. 100% of the IEPs we review that have received the “stamp of approval” from other general special education professionals are dismally inappropriate for true academic success. The success rate of students with visual impairments is unnecessarily poor. This is largely due to poor inclusion. Schools simply do not understand what is required to provide equal access to a traditionally visual
education for students who cannot see it. They simply do not know what they do not know. Unfortunately, due to staffing shortages they often place a warm body in the role of TVI and slap an emergency certificate on them and call them district visual impairment expert. Clearly, this leads to disastrous results. Educating the student following the typical types and amounts of services that other children in special education get leads to illiteracy and poor future outcomes. We want our students to be productive, independent tax payers. Honestly, there is no reason this cannot happen! However, the school with its tight budget often needs to receive a solid lesson in policy, the law and research to get on board with an appropriately ambitious education. Blind individuals that receive an appropriate education go on to be PhDs and chairsof corporations.
Our Mission
The mission of the Equal Access Collaborative is to help families self-advocate and stand by their side when a partner is needed. We help families gain confidence and understanding about appropriate inclusion for their child with visual impairment/blindness.
Our Future Vision
The vision of the Equal Access Collaborative is to promote culture shift that improves inclusion. Through educational leadership we aspire to ensure the appropriately ambitious education that students with visual impairments are entitled to.
Our Hope
We hope to earn your trust. We exploded with volunteers within the first week of being open. Our first fundraiser met its goal within 5 hours of launching! The votes of confidence amongst
visual impairment professionals are strong. The appreciation from families and teachers is palpable. We hope you will feel moved enough to add us to your list of charities you donate to annually. Donations are tax deductible. So, donors should be confident in making a deductible contribution. We are also seeking board members to replace the founding
board who will move on to administrative employment with the organization by January, 2019. Volunteers and members for our committees are always welcomed! The students and families thank you!
Fundraising team: Equal Access Collaborative (3)
Kristie Santangelo Jacoby
Organizer
Reading, PA
Kathy Alstrin
Team member
Rob Harris
Team member
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