Exploring States’ Variations in Prevalence and Eligibility Criteria for Students With Visual Impairments Including Blindness

Abstract

The prevalence of students with visual impairments (VI) varies across the United States, yet no analysis exists on how individual state factors may correlate with the number of students receiving services. This study presents the results of an analysis of variations in eligibility criteria for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) category “visual impairments including blindness” and a series of statistical models exploring correlations between prevalence rates for students with VI and state-level variables during the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 school years. Multiple regression analyses indicated that requiring specific assessments as part of the eligibility process may strongly correlate to states’ number of students with visual impairments reported in Child Count and explain the degree of difference between Child Count and total population reports. Child Count prevalence rates were higher in states that housed a preparation program for teachers of students with visual impairments. Implications for policy makers, administrators, and practitioners were discussed.