Creating A Resource Page for Paraprofessionals and Support Staff

By Laura Jones

I am a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired), COMS (Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist), and CLVT (Certified Low Vision Therapist), who has worked in districts and a non-profit organization. I currently teach in Missouri and have previous experience in Texas.

Coming into this school year, I prepared individual “Resources Pages” for my students’ team members, including the paraprofessional who works with me. I have been fortunate to work with several superb paraprofessionals who have made an incredible impact on my students. 

Paraprofessionals are educational workers (district requirements for education and training vary) who support students in school under the supervision of a teacher. In the vision field, paraprofessionals may provide direct support to students in class and/or produce braille and tactile materials (some hold various certifications for transcription).  

This resource page provides general background information plus specific strategies when working with individual students. In recent years my district has had up to 6 students with visual impairments in one elementary school. The learning curve to meet their varying needs is substantial and intimidating. With district support, I worked to find resources that were targeted to each student’s needs and each staff member’s role. This was intended to give staff the most information in the quickest way possible so that they did not become frustrated watching trainings that were not fully applicable to their roles and students.  
It also enabled them to refer back to resources as questions arise throughout the year.