A VI Specialist’s Guide: Training Teacher and Paraprofessional Teams

Jun 16, 2025

As a TVI or O&M specialist, you are an essential instructional leader. You hold a deep understanding of visual impairments, the nuances of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), and the specific needs of your students. Yet, you face a common challenge: ensuring that the crucial strategies you develop are implemented consistently by the entire educational team.

You dedicate effort in creating quality resources and leading teacher and paraprofessional training. But you might find that, given the everyday demands of a busy classroom, even the most effective strategies can be challenging to maintain. You may feel as though you're offering assistance that doesn't necessarily result in long-lasting practice, which leaves you looking for a better strategy.

Step 1: Begin with the End in Mind Using Backward Design

Before creating your training materials, you must address an essential question: What is the training's ultimate objective?

The "Backward Design" concept is a highly valued instructional design technique that puts an emphasis on outcomes rather than jumping to what content to cover.

Determine Desired Outcomes:

Let's change the question from "What do I need to teach?" to "What do I want my team to be able to do?" What change do you want to see? Maybe you want them to proactively establish an inclusive classroom, assist a student with their ECC goals during recess, or autonomously modify a math course. Describe this ideal outcome in a way that is simple and straightforward.

Identify Acceptable Evidence:
- How can you tell if they've succeeded in achieving this goal? This focuses on watching application rather than just a post-training test.
- Will they use any specific language that is encouraging that you personally can see?
- Will you observe a modification in the set up of the classroom?
- You demonstrated specific mobility strategies, will the paraprofessional be able to successfully guide the student utilizing these?

The goal becomes concrete and your training becomes more targeted when you define this evidence.

Plan Learning Experiences:

You only plan the activities and content now that you have a defined goal in mind. Each component of your training should be a clear step toward achieving the outcomes you have in mind.

Step 2: The “What” - Build Your Training on the 21st Century Success Framework

An Instructional framework provides a cohesive structure of proven components.It's an adaptable structure that distributes your material, provides a common conceptual framework for your team, and makes sure that your teaching is based on solid foundations rather than being a strict program. Using a framework for training encourages a way of thinking that your team can apply to different conditions, rather than simply providing a list of actions.

Training teams that support learners with visual impairments could leverage this 21st Century Success Framework. It is based on four essential pillars that cover the whole student support system.

Pillar 1: Rethinking Instruction for the VI Perspective

The first pillar focuses on Rethinking Instruction for the VI Perspective. While knowing the etiology and acuity is valuable, a major shift takes place when team members start to understand the student's real-life experiences. Create experiences that help them perceive the visual, auditory, and sensory world of the visually impaired learner.

Pillar 2: Creating Inclusive Instructional Framework

The goal of this pillar is to empower your team to move from making reactive accommodations to implementing a proactive, Inclusive Instructional Framework. An instructional framework is a systematic approach to planning and teaching that embeds accessibility from the very beginning. You want to train your team to build a foundation where the student can learn alongside their peers.

Pillar 3: Support Safe Navigation Skills with Sustainability

This pillar focuses on training your team to support orientation and mobility skills with sustainability. Teach your team how to reinforce O&M instruction, use proper techniques when guidance is needed, and create opportunities for the student to practice their skills. This approach builds true student confidence and independence.

Pillar 4: Ensure Proper Skill Support with Crucial Accountability

This pillar is the glue that holds everything together. The most effective training can lose momentum without a system for follow-up and support. Accountability, in this context, is not about judgment but about partnership. It’s about becoming a supportive coach for your colleagues. Train yourself and team leads in the art of supportive, crucial conversations. Create a structure for checking in, asking helpful questions ("I saw you try that strategy; how did it go? What can we do to make it easier?"), and problem-solving together.

Step 3: The “How” - Structuring Your Sessions for Maximum Engagement

Now that you have your "what" (the framework), you need to structure the "how" which is the actual flow of your training session. Think of organizing each module around this four-part cycle to maintain team engagement and ensure the information is retained.

The Why: Begin by connecting the content to your team's purpose and daily work. Help them see how this training will address a challenge they face or help them better serve their students. When participants understand the relevance, they are more open to learning.

The What: This is the core content from your framework. Present the agenda and clearly teach the concepts and skills. This is where you deliver the essential knowledge base.

The How: This is where you bridge theory and practice. How do they actually apply this knowledge? Provide step-by-step instructions, demonstrations, and real-world examples. This is especially critical for a paraprofessional who needs concrete, actionable strategies.

The What Ifs: Proactively address potential questions and challenges. "What if I don't have enough time?" "What if the student is having an off day?" By addressing these scenarios, you show that you respect their reality, build trust, and remove potential barriers to implementation.

Remember to accommodate all learning types as you proceed through this structure by using visual aids, verbal group discussions, quick read/write handouts, and kinesthetic, or hands-on, exercises. Practicing and reflecting can often prove more helpful than saturating every second with new information.

Your Action Plan for Transformative Training

Transitioning to a framework-based approach is a process, but it is an achievable and rewarding one. You can start today.

Define Your Goal: Take 15 minutes and use the Backward Design model to outline one key outcome you want for your school team.

Choose a Pillar: Look at the 21st Century Success Framework and select one pillar to be the focus of your next training. Start small to build momentum.

Structure Your Session: Outline your training content using the "Why, What, How, What Ifs" flow.

By adopting this strategic approach, you will do more than just share information. You will build the capacity of your teachers and paraprofessionals, creating a capable and collaborative team. You will amplify your expertise, make your work more sustainable, and, most importantly, create an environment where your students with visual impairments can truly flourish.

Topics covered: Professional development for teachers, Paraprofessional training, Supporting students with visual impairments, Backward design for special education, Creating an inclusive instructional framework, Strategies for visually impaired learners, Building a collaborative educational team