Vicky Taylor
QTVI and Registered Habilitation Specialist
After graduating from Lancaster University in 1984 with a BEd Hons in Applied Education, Vicky taught in international, urban and rural primary schools for 15 years, prior to retraining as a QTVI in 1999. While teaching, she completed an MSc with the Open University in Advanced Educational and Social Research Methods (1983) and in 2001, successfully completed the 2-year mandatory training course with University of Birmingham for Teachers of Vision Impairment, achieving a BPhil Special Needs (Visual Impairment).
Vicky has had a successful career working full-time as a Qualified Teacher of Vision Impairment (QTVI) and Registered Qualified Habilitation Specialist for North Yorkshire County Council from 2001 to 2020. (QHS with HabVI UK - Reg No 201504-198 https://habilitationviuk.org.uk/about-us/list-of-practitioners/ )
During her 19 years with the North Yorkshire Vision Support Team her role involved the following elements, enabling her to develop wide-ranging skills and expertise in this specialist area.
As Team Leader Vicky worked with the team and developed the Vision Support Service for VI children across the county, developing creative ways of ensuring the needs of schools, families and children and young people were met.
Vicky was involved in writing, delivering and quality assuring county-wide and school-specific courses, delivering training at Senco network meetings and on initial teacher training courses at undergraduate level. She arranged drop-in clinics and a 6-week training course in vision impairment and complex needs that was delivered to staff in the county’s special schools.
She was instrumental in sourcing venues, booking, coordinating, quality assuring and delivering county wide training for the sensory service.
She has successful experience in supervising and performance managing staff of the Vision Support Team, including the QTVIs, Specialist Practitioners and Resource Technicians.
She managed the caseloads of the team to ensure equitable outcomes and mentored new staff.
She has completed the Institute of Leadership and Management course.
In 2002, Vicky gained the Habilitation Specialist qualification, accredited by Leeds Metropolitan University, and led the Sensory Team in Habilitation. She attended regional and national meetings, had responsibility for overseeing the delivery of habilitation, including long cane and independence skills. She also worked alongside colleagues from Adult Social Care to draft guidelines for shared habilitation support of post-16 pupils.
For several years, she has been involved in NATSIP Benchmarking, collecting and submitting data for cohorts of pupils from the Sensory teams. She compared regional data with national statistics, shared the findings with the LA and managers and used the results to inform service delivery in terms of setting targets, planning outcomes and monitoring of pupils.
She has consistently provided excellent support and advice to mainstream, independent, special schools, early years settings, colleges and parents on a wide-range of organisational, curriculum, habilitation and specialist equipment issues.
Over the years Vicky has been involved in a successful traded service to independent schools and colleges for pupils with VI.
Through regular, ongoing attendance at national conferences including the annual View and Habilitation UK conferences, national events such as Sight Village, RNIB training events, CVI Society events, regional meetings and training days, Vicky is able to draw upon a range of research-based methods and approaches which have shown to be effective in developing programmes of educational intervention for children and young people (CYP) with VI.
Vicky has developed Specialist VI programmes for delivery by service and school staff on themes such as social emotional and mental health, developing visual skills, using specialist equipment and low vision aids, road awareness and independent travel.
Vicky has produced leaflets to inform settings, schools, families and colleagues in other services (eg health and social care) about a variety of VI related information.
Her advice and support has consistently provided appropriate and individually tailored early intervention for children and young people (CYP), including advice to parents/carers and professionals in order to raise awareness of visual impairment.
Vicky has advised CYP, parents and staff on the purchase, management and use of specialist equipment and taught CYP and school staff how to use it. By keeping abreast of advances in technology, Vicky has been able to recommend the most suitable resources and equipment for young people with VI to enable greater inclusion, and increased independence.
Two decades of experience as a QTVI has enabled Vicky to efficiently prioritise and manage a peripatetic county-wide caseload.
Numerous opportunities to carry out assessments and write reports for Education Health Care Assessment Requests (EHCARs), Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs), tribunals, Independent Education Plans (IEPs) and specific programmes of work, reports, reviews and re-assessments as required.
Vicky has always worked well as member of a collaborative team offering a flexible approach to supporting children and young people with VI, always striving to develop more effective and efficient ways of working. Ongoing working relationships with health and social care professionals, have enabled sharing of experiences and expertise and providing professional advice and guidance regarding visual impairment in the context of education, ensuring an integrated and holistic approach.
Vicky has worked effectively with babies, children and young people with VI, from birth to age 25, including those with complex needs, in homes, settings, schools and colleges.
By keeping abreast of new developments, Vicky has maintained a good understanding of the mainstream curriculum, assessments/tests and exams, to ensure inclusive practice.
Vicky has professional indemnity, public, products and employers liability insurance. She also has a recent Enhanced DBS Certificate.