Definition: What is a vision impairment?
An impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness. A person is legally blind if he/she has visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye even with correction (e.g. eyeglasses) or has a field of vision so narrow that its widest diameter subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees. There is also a category referred to as low vision. According to the legal classification system, persons who have low visual acuity falling between 20/70 and 20/200 in the better eye with correction. (Hallahan, Kauffman & Pullen, 2009) |
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CharacteristicsSigns of possible eye-trouble in Children (Hallahan, 2009, p.385)
Visual impairment and blindness [Fact sheet]. (n.d.). Retrieved June/July 25, 2010, from PE Central - The premier web site for health and physical education website: http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/defineEntryAPA.php ResourcesClick here or on the picture to connect to local, national and international resources for more information on and assistance with vision impairment.
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Teaching Methods
DO's
... feel comfortable using vision words, such as "look", "see", and "watch." ...use the student's name when calling on him/her. ...read out loud what you are writing on the board. ... encourage independence; the visually impaired student needs to learn to do as much as possible for him/herself. ... include the visually impaired student in as many class activities as possible. ... give explicit directions; avoid the words "here" and "there" because they may not give enough information. ...fill in experiential gaps when you discover them. ... allow extra time when needed, for tactual exploration, when appropriate, slower visual/braille reading etc. ... provide extra storage space for special equipment/materials. ... encourage the use of aids/devices (not aides). DONT's ... be afraid to touch the visually impaired student, but tell him/her you are about to touch him/her; respect the student's personal preferences about touching. ... overprotect; let student try as many things as possible for him/herself. ... worry about your initial feelings of awkwardness; remember that you are teaching a child--who happens to have a disability. ... be afraid to require the student's best work. ... be afraid to require good behavior; administer the same discipline, if needed as you would for a sighted child; rules do count. ... hesitate to ask the student what something looks like to him/her, it may help you understand the quality of the student's vision. ...feel you must tolerate unacceptable behavior in the visually impaired student any more than you would in a normally sighted student. (Hallahan, 2009, p.395) |
The Braille Rap Song
Link Music: http://www.aph.org/edresearch/braille_rap/braille_rap.mp3
Read and sing along! Link Lyrics: http://www.aph.org/edresearch/braille_rap/index.html source:Braille alphabet. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braille_alphabet.jpg |