Visual
Impairment:
students
with varying levels of visual impairment including blindness. A few helpful
tips: provide material in brail, face class while speaking, provide inclusive
activities.
Definition
According
to IDEA - Sec. 300.8 (c) (13)
Visual
impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with
correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term
includes both partial sight and blindness.
An
fyi from our text book, Including students with special needs: A practical
guide for classroom teachers (Friend & Bursuck, 2012) explains that the
term legal blindness means the vision in the best eye, with
correction, is 20/200 or lower (what a person with normal vision can see at 200
feet can only be seen at 20 feet), or the visual field is 20 degrees or less
(the person sees a small slice of what others can see).
Characteristics
According
to NICHCY, common signs that a child may have a visual impairment include the
following:
·
Eyes that
don’t move together when following an object or a face
·
Crossed eyes,
eyes that turn out or in, eyes that flutter from side to side or up and down,
or eyes that do not seem to focus
·
Eyes that
bulge, dance, or bounce in rapid rhythmic movements
·
Pupils that
are unequal in size or that appear white instead of black
·
Repeated
shutting or covering of one eye
·
Unusual
degree of clumsiness, such as frequent bumping into things or knocking things
over
·
Frequent
squinting, blinking, eye-rubbing, or face crunching, especially when there’s no
bright light present
·
Sitting too
close to the TV or holding toys and books too close to the face
·
Avoiding
tasks and activities that require good vision
If
any of these symptoms are present, parents will want to have their child’s eyes
professionally examined. Early detection and treatment are very important to
the child’s development.
Types
of Visual Impairment
Not
all visual impairments are the same, although the umbrella term “visual
impairment” is often used to describe an eye condition or disorder. Common
visual impairments you are likely familiar with are near-sightedness and
far-sightedness. Less familiar visual impairments include:
Ø Strabismus, where the eyes
look in different directions and do not focus simultaneously on a single point;
Ø Congenital cataracts,
where the lens of the eye is cloudy;
Ø Retinopathy of
prematurity, which may occur in premature babies when the light-sensitive
retina hasn’t developed sufficiently before birth;
Ø Retinitis pigmentosa, a rare
inherited disease that slowly destroys the retina;
Ø Coloboma, where a portion
of the structure of the eye is missing;
Ø Optic nerve hypoplasia,
which is caused by underdeveloped fibers in the optic nerve and which affects
depth perception, sensitivity to light, and acuity of vision; and
Ø Cortical visual impairment
(CVI), which is caused by damage to the part of the brain related to vision,
not to the eyes themselves.
Teaching
Strategies
Encourage
independence:
it is often difficult for these students to become as fully independent as they
are capable of being. The classroom teacher should encourage independence
as often as possible to avoid the trap of “learned helplessness.” Encourage the
student to move independently through the classroom, and organize your
classroom accordingly.
Communicate: with the student,
with the students’ parents, with special educators, the O & M specialist,
and other teachers who have more experience than you.
Learn
about the student’s specific visual impairment: what aspects of vision
are affected, and how does that affect the student’s ability to move around the
classroom, see the board, or read a textbook. Students and parents can be
good sources of information.
Adapting
your classroom:
account for the student’s specific visual impairment. Place a student
with low vision near the front of the room where he or she can see the
blackboard. Control lighting variables when presenting learning materials to
those students who are sensitive to light and glare. Make safe lanes to
walk through, and keep cupboard doors closed.
Verbal
cues: for
those students who cannot see body movements or physical cues, verbal cues are
necessary.
Textbooks
and instructional materials: students need access to materials in the appropriate
media and at the same time as their peers. For students who are blind
this may mean braille and/or recorded media. For the student with low vision,
this may mean large print text or the use of optical devices to access text
and/or recorded media while in class.
Use
the IEP:
it serves as a guide for what the student’s goals are, and what accommodations
are appropriate.
Other
Resources
Definition:
Characteristics:
American
Academy of Pediatrics lists types of health issues affecting eyes.
Learning
Strategies:
Eye
visual,
National Eye Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Advocacy
group:
Association
for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired supports
educators with professional development, publications, and advocacy.
Created
by AFB so that families of blind people can connect with each other.
What
are the issues you face when setting up your classroom?
Instruction
materials:
Printing
house for the blind
Accessible
Instruction Materials
Educators
guide to getting accessible textbooks.
http://aim.cast.org/learn/aim4families/school/accessible_textbooksOther types:
Autism
Deaf-Blindness
Developmental Delay
Emotional Disturbance
Hearing Impairment
Intellectual Disability
Multiple Diabilities
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairments
Learning Disabilities
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
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