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VISUAL IMPAIRMENT INCLUDING BLINDNESS
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 blindnessmeans 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.
