- Having poor to no visual perception.
- From an educational perspective, students described as having visual impairments or low vision are generally those who are able to use their remaining vision for learning but need to use a combination of compensatory visual strategies, low vision devices, and environmental modifications to access and respond to visual information.
- Visual impairment can involve a loss of visual clarity, and/or peripheral vision. Some visual conditions also may result in reduced or complete loss of colour vision, sensitivity to even normal levels of light, or rapid, involuntary eye movements . All of these factors affect the student's degree of visual efficiency or how well the student is able to use vision for learning.
- Low vision students usually are print users, but may require special equipment and materials. The definition of legal blindness covers a broad spectrum of visual impairments.
- Visual acuity of 20/200: the legally blind person can see at 20 feet what the average-sighted person can see at 200
-Low vision – limited or diminished vision that cannot be corrected with standard lenses
-Partial sight – the field of vision is impaired because of an illness, a degenerative syndrome, or trauma. Only two percent of the people with vision impairments are totally blind; most blind people have some amount of usable vision.
AB Ed. Code Visual:
● ECS: 30
● Gr.1-12: 56 or 46
AB Ed. Code Blindness:
● Gr ECS-12: 46
Characteristics &/or Observable Behaviours
- Clumsiness can occur when the eyes misjudge a distance. Sometimes young children who do not walk well actually have problems with their vision.
- May appear to also have a short attention span.
- May blink frequently or squint when looking at an object, reading, or watching TV.
- Crossed eyes, eyes that turn out, eyes that flutter from side to side or up and down, or eyes that do not seem to focus
- May become very isolated and stop doing activities they once loved
- Skim reading may be very difficult due to eye fatigue. Eye fatigue can cause headaches, and can also affect their study time.
-Difficulty recording notes
Teaching Strategies & Resources
Environmental:
- Be aware while setting up your classroom as to the needs of the child with a visual impairment. Keeping furnishings to a minimum, having materials in a consistent location, providing clear pathways, and using different floor textures to differentiate between different areas of the classroom are a few of the ways you can do this.
- Have activity areas well defined and the room free of visual and physical clutter
- Do not stack shelves higher than shoulder height
- Have furniture in the room with high contrasting colour for those students with low vision
- Create landmarks in the classroom
- Teach all students good classroom maintenance, such as pushing in their chair after using it
-Positioning of the student in the classroom. Making sure that they have an easily accessible spot in class.
Instructional:
- Determine what medium is best for an individual child through the Learning Media Assessment. This may be braille, print, dual media, auditory strategies, objects, symbols, or some combination. These items are available for loan to Alberta schools that have students with a visual disability and the professionals who support the education of these students. (See education.alberta website link in far right column). Professional Development may be needed in order to use/understand/integrate these mediums, and once they are able to be implemented; they may be used not only for instruction but for assignments also. These should be implemented within your classroom to help alleviate the gap in instructions for the visually impaired/blind students, and allow them much the same opportunities for learning as the other students.
-Make sure to call the student by their name so you can get their specific attention. You can say your name so they know who is talking to them. They may not always recognize you by your voice.
- Read aloud using stories and books that are interesting and appropriate for the child. Silent reading is also acceptable if the student has a medium they are able to use (braille books). Reading aloud is a wonderful tool for imagination, and it may be beneficial to have all students close their eyes and use their imaginations to create the stories pictures/concepts in their heads, again leveling the field for all students including the visually impaired.
-Be organized and have all of the materials in advance (at the start of term). This way if anything needs to be transformed into braille or audio tapes there is enough time to do so. This will require some foresight into your lessons and planning, but if well prepared will make the extra work that it requires transparent to the visually impaired students, in turn working to eliminating any ‘otherness’ they may feel within their classroom setting.
-Make sure to check in with the student to make sure that you verbal delivery of material is not too fast, too slow, or too loud. This may be better done in a private moment between the student and yourself so as not to highlight the impairment more than necessary to the other students.
- Encourage that one person is talking at a time.
- In labs make sure the student can obtain results. This can be used by talking technology, such as a thermometer. (can also be for assignments)
-Use an electronic format and use a screen reader such as JAWS
-Have a note taker for the student so they can listen to the auditory cues and review the notes later.A reader can also be provided to help with material and transfer it into audio files.
- If you are asked to guide a student with a visual impairment, identify yourself, offer your services and, if accepted, offer your arm to the student's hand. Tell them if they have to step up or step down, let them know if the door is to their left or right, and warn them of possible hazards.
Assignments:
- Encourage quality over quantity for written work as braille users will complete their written assignments in class using a brailler. This may take longer than handwriting.
- Magnification software can be used, as well as specialist software. Specialist software is voice activated and the students can dictate the info on the screen.
-Make sure to have verbal announcements for changes to assignments, dates, etc.
- For assignments, giving the student extended time if needed, and making sure that modifications to handouts are made if needed (larger print, electronically, etc).
-Pair the visually impaired student with a non-visually impaired student. Make sure the non-visually impaired students explain verbally what they are doing. (can also be an instructional strategy)
Links &/or Sources
Alberta Sources:
http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/resources/prb/ssvi.aspx
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/inmdict/html/visual_impairment.html
***http://www.vision.alberta.ca/resources/adaptingprograms/ (this link has amazing information and resources for teaching blind/visually impaired students in Alberta)
Other Sources:
http://www.blindcanadians.ca/publications/cbm/25/adjustment-losses-and-positive-attitude-dealing-vision-impairment-and-blindness
http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/instructional-strategies-students-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired
http://www.livestrong.com/article/126096-characteristics-visually-impaired-child/
http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/
http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/adapt.html
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/assets/documents/SuggestedTeachingStrategiestousewithBlindandPartiallySightedStudents.pdf
http://www.sdcity.edu/Portals/0/CollegeServices/StudentServices/DSPS/QT2-VI.pdf
http://sds.ucsf.edu/sites/sds.ucsf.edu/files/PDF/Visual_Impairment.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/user/TommyEdisonXP/videos