The Expanded Core Curriculum Definitions

This document defines each area of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) and provide examples of each area.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology refers to both high and low-tech devices and strategies that better enable a student to communicate, access information, or participate in activities. Examples of skill areas developed:

Computer Skills
- Keyboarding
- Screen reader use (e.g., JAWS, VoiceOver, NVDA)
- Text enlargement
- Website navigation using keyboard commands
Exploration of various AT devices (low and high tech)
- Braille technology (note takers, such as Barille Note and Braille Sense; refreshable braille displays)
- Magnifiers, including video magnifiers or a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system
- Voice output
- Speech to text
- Text to speech
Use of Mobile Apps (e.g., TapTapSee, Color Inspector, Say Color, Seeing Assistant)
The Management and securing of equipment.
Identification of AT needs and funding for devices once a student exits high school

Career Education

Students learn about different types of jobs, what they entail, and where they can be found. Examples of skill areas developed:

Vocational planning
Following classroom and school rules.
Producing high-quality work.
Identifying educational service options related to visual impairment.
Developing awareness of eye condition and explaining needed accommodations.
Expressing preferences on work roles.
Exploring career/education programs aligned with student preferences, interests, needs, and supports.
Engaging in unpaid and paid job experiences.

Compensatory Access

Compensatory skills are the skills that a student with a vision impairment needs to access the core curriculum. These skills can include modes of reading and communication, accessing braille or large print, and organization/study skills. Examples of skill areas developed:

Concept development (e.g., matching)
Communication modes (e.g., speaking, listening, reading, writing)

Accessing print materials (e.g., print type, auditory books, braille)
Organizational skills (e.g., locating personal items, keeping track of time and appointment)
Study skills (e.g., methods to study, note taking).

Independent Living Skills

Students learn tasks and functions that help them increase their independence, such as personal hygiene, eating skills, and time management. Examples of skill areas developed:

Dressing and clothing management
Personal hygiene
Eating and food management
Housekeeping and home maintenance
Budgeting and using money
Concept of time and time management
Health (physical, mental, and sexual) and safety

Orientation and Mobility

This refers to a student’s understanding of their environment and their ability to travel through it safely. Examples of skill areas developed:

Spatial awareness
Travel skills (cane skills, sighted guide, trailing)
Navigation of crosswalks
Protective techniques
Independent travel in familiar and unfamiliar environments
Search patterns
Public transport navigation
Requesting assistance

Recreation and Leisure

Students develop an understanding of various options for leisure and enjoyment so that they can make choices that fit their interests. This may involve learning about and participating in sports, music, art, or other recreational activities in a student’s community. Examples of skill areas developed:

Management of leisure time
Exploration and exposure to recreation and leisure activities
- Physical games and sports
- Pets and nature
- Arts and crafts

Maintaining safety during leisure activities
Identifying recreation and leisure opportunities of interest available after high school in their community

Self-Determination

Students learn to set realistic goals and take ownership of their lives. Examples of skill areas developed:

Self-awareness
Decision making
Problem-solving
Goal setting and attainment
Self-observation, evaluation, and reinforcement
Self-advocacy and leadership
Self-understanding

Sensory Efficiency

Students learn to use their senses to learn about and adapt to the world, including their sense of balance and awareness of their body in space. Examples of skill areas developed:

Visual
- Identifying optical devices that are appropriate for visual tasks (near/far)
- Initiating in dependent use of optical device/s
- Understanding ways to use all available vision

Auditory
- Developing skills for using recorded materials
- Building a memory and classification of sounds (association)
- Recognizing, comparing, and distinguishing between sounds (discrimination)

Tactual
- Recognizing small characteristics of objects
- Interpreting graphic information

Kinesthetic
- Sensing the position of the body and limbs
- Learning the movement patterns of limbs and trunk

Social Interaction Skills

Students learn how to read and respond to social situations without the benefit of visual cues. Examples of skill areas developed:

Identity – (emotional awareness, social media presence)
Identifying non-verbal social cues (body posture, personal space, gestures, facial expressions, socially appropriate mannerisms)
Communication (initiating positive interactions, accepting/declining assistance)
Active listening
Understanding the social norms of various environments (e.g., school vs. work vs. recreational settings)

Independent living skills

Self-determination