Assessment and Goal Setting Procedure

Last Updated
February 1, 2022

An appointment will be scheduled with students enrolled in the Blind People in Charge Program to complete a self-assessment or pre-assessment depending on whether or not they have any remaining functional vision. This self-assessment or pre-assessment will be administered within the six months prior to the beginning of the student’s training.

During or before the self-assessment appointment, if the student has no functional vision, the Program and Student Affairs Coordinator will get them to complete a self-assessment, using the checklists for the subjects they will be studying in the Blind People in Charge program. Help will be provided for students who cannot independently complete a self-assessment. This may take the form of a staff member being assigned to call or text with the student to help them fill out the self-assessment.

If the student is still using vision, the Program and Student Affairs Coordinator will use the checklists for the subjects the student will be studying as a guide to determine the student’s challenges in the five blindness skill areas: tactile/Braille, travel & orientation, technology, Home Management, and Community and Employment. Unlike the self-assessment, this pre-assessment exercise must be completed with the student.

After the assessment is completed, the assessor will:

  1. Develop a list of goals and objectives based on the assessment and other written or verbal indication the student has given on their own goals.

  2. Review the list of goals with the student to determine their priorities.

  3. Examine the goals to ensure they are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and timely (SMART goals).

  4. Add the list of goals to the student’s student folder, which serves as their individual service plan (ISP).

  5. Break down each SMART Goal into Objectives and note the objectives in the Participant’s ISP.

  6. Identify and note any methods, techniques and activities for each objective.

When students arrive for training they will be assessed using a test developed based on their self-assessment or pre-assessment as applicable. Assessments will be conducted by an instructor in each of the program’s training areas.

The Participant’s goals and objectives are reviewed and updated at the beginning of each term and an updated list is added to the ISP by the Program and Student Affairs Coordinator.

An initial risk management plan is noted in the ISP by the Program and Student Affairs Coordinator and updated as needed.

The Participant’s progress is noted in progress reports saved in their ISP by training staff at the end of each week of training.