VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

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VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

• FRIEND CH 11,
• SPED 281
• Dr. Schneider

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Definition of Visual Impairments (VIS IMP)
• Historic information
• Characteristics of Visual Impairments
• Causes
• Prevalence
• Identification procedure of Visual Impairments
• Types of services
• Best Teaching strategies
• Perspectives of family members
• Issues affecting the field of VIS IMP

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Definition of Visual Impairments

• 2 different components
• a) visual acuity and/or
• b) field of vision area that can be seen clearly
  when looking straight ahead
• acuity
• 20/20 vision person reads the 20 line from 20
  feet distance accurately
• 20/200 vision legally blind, person can read
  top line of reading test sheet only with print
  size 200 accurately
• field of vision
• when a persons field of vision is less than 20
  degrees (normal 160), even if acuity is normal
  tunnel vision

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Definition of Visual Impairments

• Legal Blindness Definition
• eligibility standard, not how person with
  disability learns, experiences world
• PURPOSE receive tax benefits, social security
  benefits, medical benefits
• VERSUS
• IDEA Definition
• visual disability, including blindness
  impairment in vision that even with correction
  affects a childs educational performance
• PURPOSE appropriate service to assure successful
  acad. social learning

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Definition of Visual Impairments

• IDEA definition includes individuals on a
  continuum with
• low vision optical aids needed for reading few
  read both Braille print may or may not be
  identified as legally blind mild to severe
• Functional/educational blindness limited vision
  (e.g., color, shadows, existence of light) is
  supported by tactile auditory learning
  (Braille) severe-profound
• total blindness no meaningful input through
  visual sense rely only on tactile auditory
  learning

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Historical information

• Beginnings in France in late 1700s and continued
  with Lois Braille in early 1800s
• (1854 Braille widely accepted after his death)
• 1830s Residential schools in US
• 1900s Public Day school programs
• in Chicago public schools sight saving methods
• 20th century.
• Shift of teaching methods from saving vision to
  utilizing vision
• Dramatic increase in deaf-blindness cases due to
  rubella epidemic in mid 60s and pre-mature births
  with multiple disabilities

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Characteristics of VIS IMP

• GENERALLY
• lack sense of space, depth, dimensions, if born
  with blindness/visual impairment
• ? need to learn it explicitly
• limited incidental learning due to impaired
  vision
• ? different exposure necessary utilizing tactile
  auditory stimulation
• different sense of self in environment (movement,
  courage to explore, balance, relationship to
  objects, people animals /size)
• ? less reinforcement since one learning channel
  is missing
• different, less varied social exposure
  development since child cannot observe others and
  then learn through role play
• restricted early motor development

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Characteristics of VIS IMP

• Cognitive Characteristics
• Must replace what is safe with tactile
  experiences BUT this excludes certain experiences
  of concepts such as fire snow flake stars
• Must learn orientation mobility skills
  explicitly rather than incidentally
• All developmental skills except language are
  negatively affected by low/no vision

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Characteristics of VIS IMP

• Academic Characteristics
• PRINT LITERACY b/c print is primary literacy
  medium
• BRAILLE for reading writing slower than
  non-Braille reading-writing but efficient
• Proper use of low vision devices (magnifier,
  electronic devices)
• Access to proper assistive technology is KEY
  reading improvement can more than double

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Characteristics of VIS IMP

• Social-Emotional Characteristics
• Underdeveloped b/c eyes could not observe proper
  behavior, so person could not imitate practice
  them gt RESTRICTED INCIDENTAL LEARNING
• Student needs direct, explicit instruction
  through positive behavior support programs for
• Proper timing of comments, actions
• Facial expressions
• Tone of voice
• Body language

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Characteristics of VIS IMP

• Behavior Characteristics
• Visual impairment alone does NOT cause
  significant behavior issues
• Less socially mature than peers
• Less assertive than peers
• Sometimes learned helplessness syndrome b/c
  visually impaired is viewed less capable than
  seeing peers
• Some show stereo-typical behavior that has no
  function such as
• Eye pressing
• Head-to-body rocking
• Twirling
• Finger flicking

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CAUSES

• Concomitantly occurring often with other
  disabilities
• Largest pool of people with hearing loss older
  generation
• After Birth
• Adventitious vision loss condition acquired
  after birth that results in gradual loss of
  vision adventitious ad towards vent come
  -tious until there in full
• Injury, accident
• Environment incubator- overexposure to oxygen
• Result of disease (e.g., rubella in1960s/70s)
• Congenital-hereditary
• Congenital vision loss hereditary there at birth
• Albino-related
• Diabetes-related
• Glaucoma (damage to optic nerve)

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Prevalence

• PROBLEM difficult to acquire precise data due to
  
• great variety of different measuring procedures
  for visual impairment across states
• (2) No single registry documents visual
  impairment
• (3) Vision impairment concomitantly occurs with
  other disabilities if not primary disability, it
  may not get recorded
• 1999 data almost 94.000 students had visual
  impairment that interfered with learning
• 33.ooo with vis. Impairment only
• 50.ooo with one additional disability (not
  deaf-blind)
• 11.000 who were deaf-blind
• about 0.04 of SPED population (2001) LOW
  INCIDENCE disability (like MR, ED, Hearing
  Impairment)

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Identification procedures

• A. Signs
• parent or other early childcare persons notice
  that child does not respond appropriately to
  visual cues
• squinting (light)
• jerking when something appears in near sight all
  of a sudden but in reality was there to be seen
  long before
• B. Tests/Screening
• Ophthalmological analysis of functional vision
• Clinical low vision evaluation by optometrist or
  ophthalmologist
• concept of environment
• academic skills
• adaptive skills

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Identification procedures

• Test-screening cont.
• orientation mobility
• communication skills
• sensory/motor skills (learning media)
• career/vocational skills (older students)
• Eligibility Criteria
• Visual impairment must adversely affect students
  ability to learn
• Each state has individual criteria for
  accessibility for services (only functional
  vision data or also clinical low vision data
  necessary) gt see dept. of ED website

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Types of services for students w/ Visual
Impairments

• Early Childhood
• Up to age 2 home-based support
• Ages 3-5 center-based pre-school with focus on
  motor and language skills
• Elementary-Secondary Schools
• Consultant model for those who hardly need any
  special guidance other than a peer, tactile maps,
  large print)
• Itinerant model an itinerant traveling Vis IMP
  specialist teaches some content but student is
  mostly in reg. ed. Classes for those with
  mild-moderate hearing impairment most common
  model

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Types of services for students w/ Visual
Impairments

• Resource Model for moderate to severe case
  participation in reg. ed as much as possible but
  students attend a classroom that is fully
  equipped with special materials, resources
  technology class is taught by a specialist
  topics address specialized extended curriculum
  (life skills, mobility etc.)
• Specialized classes and schools special day
  schools or residential schools

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Keys to success with inclusion

• Educate both regular ed teachers, administrators
  AND CLASS PEERS about vision impairment
  strengths and weaknesses use of technology
• Ensure the student is instructed in the use of
  appropriate devices
• Participate in planning hands-on-instruction
  extra curricula engagement
• Ensure that all learning material is provided in
  proper optical form (recording, Braille, larger
  print)
• Assure seating that minimizes glare, good view to
  board, access to lighting

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Best Teaching strategies

• OVERALL unclear, incomplete or no visual input
  requires direct instruction in filling the
  deprived areas of social environmental
  experiences
• a. Technical support (p.422-423)
• books on tape
• magnifying glass
• enlarged print
• computer with scanner and print enlarger
  speaking capacity Braille translator capacity
• Phone as reading tool
• Braille typewriter
• library on-line catalogue JAWS speaks text on
  monitor
• see eye dog

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Best Teaching strategies

• b. Instructional adaptations
• highlighting clear oral information from teacher
  contributions from peers
• enriching learning with tactile- kinesthetic
  experiences for all learners
• Science e.g. building the eruption of a vulcano
  with playdow and other materials in teams
• 3-dimentional geographical maps
• Math use Cuisenaird sticks, measuring devices
• enriching classroom learning with many hands-on,
  touchable items

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Best Teaching strategies

• b. Instructional adaptations cont.
• installing special lights that help partially
  visually impaired student participate with least
  trouble in class or other regular environments
• teaching Braille
• teaching special organization skills for school
  home routine activities
• orientation mobility specialist teaches use of
• ! no curriculum exists at present for ESL
  students who are visually impaired!
• important to not only pay attention to the
  academics but also the emotional-social aspects,
  self-advocacy/

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Best Teaching strategies

• Learning by doing (tactile-kinesthetic)
• Seeing brings sense of depth and perspective,
  relations this experience must be replaced with
  other experiences that teach similar/same sense
  development
• Unifying experiences
• Linking the study of a subject component with its
  representation in real life (e.g., visiting
  places, growing plants)
• Concrete experiences
• Learning about environment through touch,
  objects, real experiences using all senses
  instead of real objects, models are often used
• Those with minimal vision practice visual
  exploration with assistive technology
• OVERALL GOOD UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
  PRINCIPLES

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Perspectives of family members

• Parents whose children attended public schools
• Inclusion Concerns about social isolation,
  limited participation in extra-curricular
  activities
• Stressing about childs future
• Parents whose children attended specialized
  schools
• Schools offered more resources than public
  schools
• Contributed more to the social and personal
  growth of child
• Better qualified teachers
• Higher standards for students
• Disability-specific instruction in living skills,
  Braille literacy, orientation mobility
• Greater access to specialized equipment
• More opportunities for extra-curricular
  participation

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Issues affecting the field of Visual Impairment

• Type of student with visual impairment is
  different from past now more than half of them
  have multiple disabilities rather than visual
  impairment as only disability
• Schooling moved from mostly residential to mostly
  public school integration
• Limited Continuum of Placement Options
• Shortage of fully prepared personnel
• Now distance-based personnel training teachers
  and mobility training specialists
• Recommended 1-8 teacher/student ratio not
  possible in most placements due to teacher
  shortage

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Important websites

• www.aph.org American Printing house for the
  blind materials can be ordered on line for
  teachers service providers
• www.afb.org American Foundation for the Blind
  publishes resources is legal advocate not a
  membership organization
• www.acb.org American Council for the Blind
• www.nfb.org National Federation for the Blind
• www.napvl.org National Association for Parents
  of children who have visual impairments