ABSTRACT
The 1981 Education Act, strengthened by the Education Reform Act (Department for Education (DfE) 1988a), advocated that pupils with special educational needs should be provided for within mainstream education wherever possible. This chapter will consider the types of support given to pupils with a visual impairment who attend a mainstream school. The skills and characteristics required of the specialist staff who support these children will be discussed, as will the school systems required to ensure appropriate and inclusive education for these children.
