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Introduction The unique challenges to learning and participation in education associated with visual impairment are well documented in the literature, as is the importance of addressing these challenges through ensuring practitioners who support them are equipped with appropriate knowledge, understanding, and skills. We use a bioecological systems theory as a lens through which to examine the personnel preparation of vision specialist teachers to act as agents of change. We draw on the different teacher preparation programs for specialist teachers of learners with visual impairments in the United Kingdom to demonstrate how this theory can be applied. Methods We use a bounded case study to bring together the respective teacher preparation programs in the UK in order to demonstrate complementary characteristics of the theoretical model proposed. Results and discussion We argue that a bioecological systems theory offers a holistic framework for educators involved in personnel preparation to explicitly engage with vision specialist teachers in their role as potential agents of change. This preparation includes developing distinctive knowledge, understanding, and skills to facilitate learner participation in education through promoting “progressive” and “mutual” accommodation between the active learner and the changing learning environments in order to achieve successful outcomes. Implications for practitioners The article is original in applying a bioecological systems theory to the preparation of these specialist teachers, with a focus on their role as agents of change. We argue that it has significance, therefore, for practitioners and researchers concerned with the personnel preparation of other practitioners for learners with distinctive educational needs across national contexts and settings.

The move towards greater inclusive practice in recent years has resulted in significant changes in curriculum design, delivery and support for children and young people with vision impairments, including increasing placement in settings not designated for pupils with vision impairments.Within these settings, pupils will participate in most curriculum areas alongside their sighted peers with support provided by a range of practitioners including a specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments. This article is concerned with analysing the distinctive function and role of the specialist teacher across settings in helping to facilitate an appropriatebalance of curriculum ‘access’. Drawing upon recent work in this area, a dual model of access is presented as a means of illustrating the specialist teacher’s role in (1) ensuring that the child’s environment is structured to promote learning throughout their education (‘access to learning’) and (2) supporting the child to learn distinctive skills in order to afford more independent learning(‘learning to access’). While it can be challenging for specialist teachers to find the balance between these two roles, its importance is highlighted in literature which associates independence skills with positive employment outcomes. An ecological systems theory is used as a lens through which to conceptualise and navigate the issues teachers negotiate in facilitating an appropriate curriculumbalance. We illustrate the multi-faceted role of the specialist teacher in providing support ‘within’ and ‘between’ the different ‘systems’ within this theoretical framework with a particular focus on the professional ‘standards’ that are used in England and Scotland, respectively. The article is original in being the first to examine the role of the specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments through such an analysis. In providing a theoretical framework and related vocabulary illustrated with examples from practice, it therefore has significance for educators and researchers concerned with facilitating curriculum access across national contexts and educational settings in order to reduce future barriers to learning and participation.

Issues relating to the categorisation and labelling of pupils, and, the use of the terms ‘special educational needs’ and ‘disability’ in particular, have been the topic of debate in BJSE before. In this article, Sue Keil, a research officer at the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), Olga Miller, of the Institute of Education, University of London, and Rory Cobb, a development officer at the RNIB, summarise some of the key findings from a review carried out on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC). The authors highlight confusion over the use of terms that represent differing ideological perspectives. Despite the social focus that characterises much of the discourse about disability, disability is frequently regarded as an aspect of special educational needs, an area in which a medical model is often dominant. These confusions benefit neither children with disabilities nor those with less clearly-defined difficulties. Sue Keil, Olga Miller and Rory Cobb note with interest recent developments in Scotland where a new framework based on the concept of ‘additional support needs' separates disability from educational need and is intended to represent a more inclusive approach to children's learning.

The majority of children with visual impairment in the UK are supported by teaching assistants in the classroom, either on an individual basis or as part of a teaching team. Teaching assistants are often the people who work alongside children more closely than any other education professionals. The quality of their work is therefore central to children's education and inclusion, yet historically the role of teaching assistant has required no specialist training and there is no national pay or career structure. Research undertaken by RNIB suggests that only a small proportion of teaching assistants employed to work with children with visual impairment currently receive training which leads to a specialist qualification. Recently, however, the Government's commitment to reforming the school workforce has raised the profile of all teaching assistants and focused attention on their training needs. This paper outlines RNIB's response to these developments and charts the creation of a new vocational qualification to meet the training needs of working with children with visual impairment. The paper outlines the proposed content of the course and discusses how the knowledge, understanding and skills of students will be assessed. It also considers ways how the specialist nature of the new qualification will relate to the national qualifications structure being established in the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by suggesting how these changes may impact in the long term on the relationship between teaching assistants and teachers of children with visual impairment.

Children in England are subject to more external assessment than in any other major country in the world. This paper is based on research undertaken by the author at the University of Birmingham. It considers the issues involved in ensuring that children with visual impairment enjoy equal access to the many tests and examinations that they take during their school years. The major focus of the paper is on the way that examination papers are put into braille and large print. What safeguards exist to make sure that this is done professionally and to a common standard? How do teachers know what to expect so that they can prepare their pupils appropriately? Where should the balance lie between meeting the needs of pupils on an individual basis and expecting them to manage with standard approaches to the modification and production of papers? The paper moves on to consider the opportunities for modifying exam papers electronically so that teachers can customise their presentation to suit individual needs. Finally, the paper looks briefly at related issues such as the granting of extra time and the use of sighted helpers in examinations. How do all these special arrangements affect the validity of the tests and the results achieved by pupils with visual impairment? While the focus of the paper is on UK systems, these issues also hold significance for teachers of children with visual impairment in all countries.