Visual Impairment
Definition
As the term indicates, a visual impairment involves an issue with sight which interferes with a student’s academic pursuits. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines the category as “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/visual-impairment/
Signs of a Visual Impairment
It’s very important to diagnose and address visual impairment in children as soon as possible. Some vision screening may occur at birth, especially if the baby is born prematurely or there’s a family history of vision problems, but baby wellness visits as early as six months should also include basic vision screening to ensure that a little one’s eyes are developing and functioning as might be expected.
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.
Retrieved from: Signs of a Visual Impairment
It’s very important to diagnose and address visual impairment in children as soon as possible. Some vision screening may occur at birth, especially if the baby is born prematurely or there’s a family history of vision problems, but baby wellness visits as early as six months should also include basic vision screening to ensure that a little one’s eyes are developing and functioning as might be expected.
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.
Retrieved from: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/visualimpairment/
Accommodations and Modifications
Classroom accommodations will be quite varied and should be individualized according to the specific needs of the student. However, there are some basic best practices that can guide the development of the most effective adaptations.
One thing to always consider is that 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. Materials, desks, and other objects in the classroom should be maintained in consistent locations. Ensuring that cabinets are fully closed, chairs pushed in, and doors are not left half ajar will help with safety in navigating the classroom. Part of becoming independent for students with a visual impairment is learning when to advocate for assistance. Not all instructional tasks will be immediately possible for a student with a visual impairment, even with accommodations. The key is to design your instruction so that the student has the most opportunity to act independently. The student’s orientation and mobility specialist and teacher of students with visual impairments can assist with room arrangements and room familiarization.
Adapting your classroom to accommodate a student with a visual impairment is a relatively easy task—it just requires an awareness of the student’s level of visual functioning (how the student sees) and how the student works and learns. . Control lighting variables when presenting learning materials to those students who are sensitive to light and glare. Use verbal cues with those students who cannot see body movements or physical cues.
One key accommodation that is absolutely essential is access to textbooks and instructional materials in the appropriate media and at the same time as their sighted 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. Working closely with a student’s teacher of students with visual impairments in advance helps ensure accessible materials and availability of these materials in a timely manner.
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/
Resources:
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Visual Impairments http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/
Center for Parent Information and Resources
What you will find on the Parent Center Hub:
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Visual Impairment https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/visual-impairment/
The mission of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments is to provide all persons involved in the student's education with the necessary resources they need to help each student become successful members of their communities and to equip those in the visual impairment field with a readily available resource to meet the wide range of needs of the students they serve. https://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/
World Health Organization: Article, Blindness and vision impairment https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
Videos:
10 Tips For Helping Children With Visual Impairment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn6od9wyDMI
Classroom Tools for Visually Impaired Students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3dH_QnnWQ
The Role and Value of the Teacher of the Visually Impaired https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzmMiIT3Ao
Supporting Students with Low Vision to Access Print: A Classroom Teacher's Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RCKPvudNNI
As the term indicates, a visual impairment involves an issue with sight which interferes with a student’s academic pursuits. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines the category as “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/visual-impairment/
Signs of a Visual Impairment
It’s very important to diagnose and address visual impairment in children as soon as possible. Some vision screening may occur at birth, especially if the baby is born prematurely or there’s a family history of vision problems, but baby wellness visits as early as six months should also include basic vision screening to ensure that a little one’s eyes are developing and functioning as might be expected.
- That said, 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 (as noticed with Julian)
- 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.
Retrieved from: Signs of a Visual Impairment
It’s very important to diagnose and address visual impairment in children as soon as possible. Some vision screening may occur at birth, especially if the baby is born prematurely or there’s a family history of vision problems, but baby wellness visits as early as six months should also include basic vision screening to ensure that a little one’s eyes are developing and functioning as might be expected.
- That said, 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 (as noticed with Julian)
- 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.
Retrieved from: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/visualimpairment/
Accommodations and Modifications
Classroom accommodations will be quite varied and should be individualized according to the specific needs of the student. However, there are some basic best practices that can guide the development of the most effective adaptations.
One thing to always consider is that 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. Materials, desks, and other objects in the classroom should be maintained in consistent locations. Ensuring that cabinets are fully closed, chairs pushed in, and doors are not left half ajar will help with safety in navigating the classroom. Part of becoming independent for students with a visual impairment is learning when to advocate for assistance. Not all instructional tasks will be immediately possible for a student with a visual impairment, even with accommodations. The key is to design your instruction so that the student has the most opportunity to act independently. The student’s orientation and mobility specialist and teacher of students with visual impairments can assist with room arrangements and room familiarization.
Adapting your classroom to accommodate a student with a visual impairment is a relatively easy task—it just requires an awareness of the student’s level of visual functioning (how the student sees) and how the student works and learns. . Control lighting variables when presenting learning materials to those students who are sensitive to light and glare. Use verbal cues with those students who cannot see body movements or physical cues.
One key accommodation that is absolutely essential is access to textbooks and instructional materials in the appropriate media and at the same time as their sighted 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. Working closely with a student’s teacher of students with visual impairments in advance helps ensure accessible materials and availability of these materials in a timely manner.
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/
Resources:
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Visual Impairments http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/
Center for Parent Information and Resources
What you will find on the Parent Center Hub:
- Family-friendly information and research-based materials on key topics for Parent Centers
- Private workspaces for Parent Centers to exchange resources, discuss high-priority topics, and solve mutual challenges
- Coordination of parent training efforts throughout the network
- A twice-monthly e-newsletter with key topics, new resources, upcoming events, and materials to share with families
- Materials from Parent Centers themselves
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Visual Impairment https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/visual-impairment/
The mission of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments is to provide all persons involved in the student's education with the necessary resources they need to help each student become successful members of their communities and to equip those in the visual impairment field with a readily available resource to meet the wide range of needs of the students they serve. https://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/
World Health Organization: Article, Blindness and vision impairment https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
Videos:
10 Tips For Helping Children With Visual Impairment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn6od9wyDMI
Classroom Tools for Visually Impaired Students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3dH_QnnWQ
The Role and Value of the Teacher of the Visually Impaired https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzmMiIT3Ao
Supporting Students with Low Vision to Access Print: A Classroom Teacher's Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RCKPvudNNI