FIMC-VI

Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired

                                                                                                                                                                                    

Icon of 4 students holding hands

   Student Eligibility

    The following information applies to all students with visual impairments in Florida, enrolled in public, private, and homeschool 
    programs not exceeding grade 12.  (Students attending the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) are registered through FSDB
    and will receive all materials from them.)

Textbooks and Loan Library Materials

To be eligible for embossed textbooks in braille or hard-copy large print materials as well as items from the FIMC-VI loan library, the student must be registered with FIMC-VI annually.  The student must meet the criteria established in Rule 6A-6.03014, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.)  Exceptional Student Education Eligibility for Students Who Are Visually Impaired: 

(4) Criteria for eligibility. A student is eligible for special education and related services if the following medical and educational criteria are met:
(a) Medical. A licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist has documented an eye condition that causes an impairment as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. A visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after best possible correction,
2. A peripheral field so constricted that it affects the student’s ability to function in an educational setting,
3. A diagnosis of visual impairment after best correction, or
4. A progressive loss of vision that may affect the student’s ability to function in an educational setting.
(b) The student needs special education as defined in Rules 6A-6.0331 and 6A-6.03411, F.A.C.

Once eligibility is established, on a triennial basis the student must have a medical eye examination within the last calendar year and a comprehensive assessment of skills known to be impacted by a visual impairment (assessments of functional vision, learning media, and expanded core competencies).

APH Products

For a student to receive materials from the APH Federal Quota Program, there are additional eligibility standards that must be met per the Federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. APH eligibility standards are as follows:

  • Meet the Definition of Blindness (MDB) – central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting glasses or a peripheral field so contracted that the widest diameter of such field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees, or Function at the Definition of Blindness (FDB) which is visual performance reduced by brain injury or dysfunction when visual function meets the definition of blindness as determined by an eye care specialist or neurologist.
  • “be enrolled in a formally organized public or private, nonprofit educational program of less than college level”
  • School-aged students must be enrolled with the registering school or agency on the first Monday in January. Adult students must be registered for at least three months of instruction during the preceding calendar year (an accumulation of 12 weeks).

Parent or Guardian Consent

In order for students to be registered with FIMC-VI and receive materials from us, signed parental or guardian consent must be on file with the district or agency.  This consent gives the district or agency permission to share student identifiable information with FIMC-VI and the American Printing House for the Blind.  This consent only needs to be obtained once and does not need to be submitted to FIMC-VI directly.  Consent must be obtained for any student who is new to your district or agency.  

Parent letters and blank consent forms may be downloaded below.

Parent Consent for Registration & Census (Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian)

Additional Requirements for Homeschool Students

To be eligible for homeschool services from FIMC-VI, parents must first meet all the requirements in Section 1002.01, Florida Statutes (F.S.) Student and Parental Rights and Educational Choices.  

To initially register a homeschool student, parents or caregivers should complete the Authorization Form for Homeschool Parents. Once this form is received at FIMC-VI, you will be contacted within three business days with further instructions. Please be prepared to share the following documents:

  1. Copy of an Eye Medical Exam by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist that is less than three years old
  2. Copy of an assessment of functional vision, learning media, and expanded core competencies
  3. The signed parent/consent form to share student identifiable information with APH and FIMC-VI (see above section for links to file).

Once eligibility is established and the student is registered as a homeschool student, the parent or caregiver will be able to request accessible textbooks or books (with an ISBN), materials from the loan library and/or materials from APH.