Care More Spotlight: The Vision Team

This month, we are honoring a dynamic duo that has gone above and beyond for their students in a local school district. Together, Danita Snulligan and Kristin Johnson are the driving force behind the “Vision Team” at their school, which provides visually impaired students with a hands-on curriculum including interactive projects to help them succeed.

“All students deserve to have a committed educator on their side,” says Danita, a certified orientation and mobility specialist, and teacher of students with visual impairments for the past 35 years. “One who advocates for them rigorously and sees them as capable individuals who deserve opportunities to continue learning and growing.”

Kristin and Danita began working together in the 2022–2023 school year to improve the services and assessments for visually impaired students and develop an organized approach to bridge the gaps they found. As a school nurse, Kristin turned out to be a perfect partner with Danita as they began making vast improvements for their students in a very short period of time.

Kristin has been a nurse for 15 years and is driven by her desire to positively impact the lives of the students in the school district. The vision curriculum has been a team effort as Kristin worked alongside Danita to help plan and orchestrate the activities that allowed their students to explore more senses. The district’s physical and occupational therapists also played a role in developing the multi-sensory program.

Danita had found that in years past, her students had very limited exposure to dynamic learning and it mainly consisted of audio instruction. She knew that a thoughtful approach with more hands-on learning would make a huge difference for these kids. This school year, the Vision Team hit the ground running with even more students being referred to their program.

A recent project captured the essence of the Vision Team’s immersive learning experience and how much joy the approach generates for the students because of their extra care. Danita purchased supplies for the students to create art using apple slices and paint. The students were fully engaged and delighted to be involved in creating and learning in a hands-on manner.

Danita has wanted the tools and techniques that she and Kristin are deploying for these visually impaired students to be documented and easily replicated for future use. Through her years of experience, she understands that the profession of educating students with visual impairments and blindness is a unique specialty.

There can be limited resources for students with blindness and visual impairments as well as the school professionals that support them. That’s why Danita and Kristin are committed to sharing their experience and skills to ensure that more students get the specialized care they deserve.

As a result of Danita and Kristin’s impact on the students in their school district, the pair have been nominated for Supplemental Health Care’s Care More Spotlight award. Their work embodies SHC’s belief in the power of caring, enriching lives, and inspiring better outcomes and our team is so grateful for their energy, drive, and passion to make a difference for their students.

If you are a nurse, therapist, or school professional looking to fulfill your calling to provide compassionate care to those who need it most, Supplemental Health Care is the place for you. You can contact our expert team to learn more about our Care More difference or explore open job opportunities to get started today.