Outreach
MSB’s Outreach Program serves as an important resource for instructors and other staff members from schools across the state. Areas regularly addressed include orientation and mobility, ordering/obtaining braille or large print materials, and low vision assessments. MSB also provides support for pre-service college students who need internship experiences.
Outreach services include
Supports to help address the unique educational needs of visually impaired children;
Referral services for students, families, professionals, schools and other interested individuals or organizations;
On-campus educational tours available on a limited basis by appointment.
Links for MSB Outreach
If you or someone you know has a child with hearing loss, please do not hestitate to contact me. We are the experts in this area and we can assist you. The journey does not have to be yours alone. Let us help.
Mississippi Instructional Resource Center (MIRC)
The Mississippi Instructional Resource Center (MIRC) serves as a repository for braille textbooks, large print textbooks, and specialized educational materials. The MIRC coordinates the registration of students who are legally blind and manages the APH Federal Quota Funds. The funds are used to purchase braille, large print, and specialized textbooks and educational materials for students who are legally blind in public, private, and parochial schools and other statewide agencies. The MIRC is also appropriated funds by the state legislature to provide services to partially-sighted students whose best corrected vision is no better than 20/70 or whose doctor requests large print textbooks.
If you have questions about MIRC please contact the director, Dr. Antonio Magee, at [email protected]
Mississippi Assistance Center (MAC)
In 1986, the Jackson Central Lions Club established a Low Vision Clinic (LVC) to provide consultations to children whose vision cannot be corrected by conventional prescription glasses or contact lenses. The LVC was established to be a resource for families and school districts seeking services for children with visual impairments.
In 2020, the MACH (Mississippi Assistance Center for Hearing Loss) was combined with the LVC to establish the Mississippi Assistance Center (MAC). Services are offered to any child (from birth through secondary school age) who is a legal resident of Mississippi and enrolled in an educational program. Assessment staff members in the MAC include a Doctor of Optometry, specialist in orientation and mobility, and a classroom teacher/school counselor, as needed.
MAC Support Services for the Blind or Visually Impaired
- Low Vision Aid Evaluation/Usage
- Low Vision Aid Loaner Program
- Orientation and Mobility Services
- Vision Assessment Services from a Doctor of Optometry
For more information about the MAC center, please contact Myisha Jenkins at [email protected] or (601)984-8222.
SKI*HI Early Intervention
The Sensory (Kids) Impaired Home Intervention (SKI*HI) Program provides early intervention services on a statewide basis to families of blind/visually impaired or Deaf-Blind children ages birth to 3 years. Services are usually provided in the home during weekly home visits by a staff of parent advisors who have received training in the use of early intervention models for delivery of services.
Parents become active partners in the educational development of their child and make informed decisions regarding communication methodology and educational placement for their child.
If you or someone you know has a child with visual impairment who could benefit from our SKI*HI services, please contact the director, Mrs. Kaye Carr, at [email protected]