Download IDEA-Definition of Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)

Chapter 10
Blindness and Low Vision
Definitions of Visual Impairment
Legal definition of blindness
• The legal definition is based on visual acuity and field of vision
– A person whose visual acuity is 20/200 or less after the best possible
correction with glasses or contact lenses is considered legally blind
– A person whose vision is restricted to an area of 20 degrees or less
is considered legally blind
Educational definitions of visual impairments
• The IDEA definition emphasizes the relationship between vision and
learning
– Totally blind: Receives no useful information through the sense of
vision
– Functionally blind: Learns primarily through the auditory channel
– Low vision: Uses vision as a primary means of learning
Causes
• Causes of visual impairments: Damage or disturbances to
any part of the eye’s optical, muscular or nervous system
– Refractive errors: Myopia (nearsightedness) and
hyperopia (farsightedness)
– Structural impairments: Cataracts, glaucoma,
nystagmus, strabismus
– Cortical visual impairments: Suspected damage to parts
of brain that interpret visual information
Characteristics of Students
with Visual Impairments
• Cognition and language
– Impaired or absent vision makes it difficult to see the
connections between experiences
• Motor development and mobility
– Visual impairment often leads to delays and deficits in
motor development – low motivation to move
– Physical Stereotypy
• Social adjustment and interaction
– Children with visual impairments interact less and are
often delayed in social skills
– Many persons who have lost their sight report that the
biggest difficulty socially is dealing with the attitudes
and behavior of those around them
Educational Approaches
• The age of onset has implications for how children with low
vision should be taught
– Visual impairment can be congenital (present at birth) or
adventitious (acquired)
Special adaptations for students who are blind
• Braille
• Tactile aids and manipulatives
• Computer technological aids for reading print
– Hardware/software that magnifies screen images
– Speech recognition software
– Software that converts text files to synthesized speech
Special Adaptations for Students with Low Vision
• Functional vision
– Teaching a child to use the vision that she has
• Optical devices
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Glasses
Contacts
Small hand-held telescopes
Magnifiers
• Print reading
– Approach magnification
– Lenses
– Large print
• Classroom adaptations
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Special lamps
Desks with tilting tops
Off-white writing paper
Chairs with wheels
Expanded Curriculum Priorities
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Orientation and mobility training (O&M)
Cane skills
Guide dogs
Sighted guides
Electronic travel aids
Listening skills
Functional life skills
– Cooking
– Personal hygiene
– Shopping
– Financial management
– Transportation
– Recreational activities
Educational Placement Alternatives
86% of children are educated in public schools
• Itinerant teacher model
– Most students who are included in general education classrooms
receive support from itinerant teacher-consultants
– The most important factor to the successful inclusion of students
with visual impairments is the regular classroom teacher’s flexibility
• Other important aspects
– Peer acceptance and interaction
– Availability of support personnel
– Adequate access to special supplies and equipment
• Residential schools
– About 7.5% of school-age children with visual impairments attend
residential schools
Current Issues and Future Trends
• Specialization of services
– Children with visual impairments are likely to receive special
education services in the future in both regular and residential
schools
– Greater emphasis will be placed on intervention with infants
and young children and on training older students for
independence
• Emerging technology and research
– It is hoped that all people with visual impairments will benefit
from new technological and biomedical developments
– Artificial sight may be possible in the future
• Fighting against discrimination and for self-determination
– Career opportunities will likely expand as individuals with
visual impairments become more aware of their legal and
human rights