Our Work

Perkins is proud of our reputation as an educational leader of the visually impaired. We’re also proud of our proven track record of providing thorough, effective evaluation services for more than 30 years, which includes:

• A team of experts in visual impairment who work daily with children like yours
• Timely, objective and comprehensive evaluations
• Thorough, customized reports with specific recommendations
• Follow-up consulting and progress monitoring

Formally evaluating a child’s strengths and needs allows teachers and parents to develop individualized education programs that provide the best learning experiences for each student. Our experts can assess a specific area of development, such as cognition, communication, motor or vision-related compensatory skills, or provide a comprehensive evaluation in several areas. This approach allows evaluations to be customized.

If you are not sure which form is appropriate or if you would like to have a Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) Educational Assessment in addition to another evaluation, please contact us for more information.

The evaluation takes one to two days to complete on the Perkins campus.

We use a team approach, which includes teachers and related service professionals who work directly with the students enrolled in one of our on-campus programs. Our evaluation teams have unparalleled knowledge of and experience with students who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind, including those with additional disabilities.

After the evaluation is completed, Perkins will provide a comprehensive evaluation report with recommendations for the student’s educational program and community environment.

Perkins’ assessment areas include:

• Educational skills
• Psychological assessments
• Speech and language, communication
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Orientation and mobility
• Functional low vision
• Expanded Core Curriculum areas and more

No. All children and young adults, ages 3-21, who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind, including those with additional disabilities, are eligible for evaluation services at Perkins.

As the parent of a son or daughter with special needs, you have the right to an independent educational evaluation for your child, as allowed under the federal special education law Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). You can read detailed descriptions of your parental rights in “A Parent’s Guide to Special Education,” a free online publication produced by the Massachusetts Department of Education and The Federation for Children with Special Needs. If you reside outside of Massachusetts, the Center for Parent Information and Resources has a helpful guide. In addition, our staff will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about your parental safeguards.

Yes! We offer independent post-evaluation consulting to provide additional input and strategies for your child. This service is designed to help you clearly understand your child’s strengths and challenges, customize strategies and techniques for further success and analyze areas of concern to develop additional intervention and progress monitoring.