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Students with Visual Impairments (Understanding Visual Impairments…

- - - - Louis Braille, born in 1809 and blinded at the age of 3 by an accident in his father’s workshop, developed the dot-based system of reading and writing known today simply by his last name, braille.
    - - educational programs should follow three principles: (a) pay attention to each student’s individual needs; (b) provide a curriculum similar to that for sighted students; and (c) expect students to integrate into their communities.
    - - In 1900, the first part-time class for students with visual impairments was established
      - In the 1950s a dramatic increase occurred in the number of babies who were visually impaired because of a condition called retrolental fibroplasia. This condition developed when premature babies were placed in newly available incubators and given uncontrolled amounts of oxygen to assist their breathing. The high oxygen levels caused underdeveloped blood vessels to grow into the retinas of the eyes, often leading to severe visual impairment. This disease, now called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
    - - sight-saving classes were disbanded in favor of programs that emphasized using available vision
      - a sudden increase in the number of students with visual impairments who had additional disabilities—the result of a rubella epidemic in 1964 and 1965 that left 30,000 infants born with deaf–blindness and other health conditions
  - - - visual impairment is perhaps the most commonly accepted term to describe any level of decreased vision from a mild loss that has little impact on daily life to total loss.
      - People with low vision (also called moderate to severe visual impairment) have some vision, but they have difficulty accomplishing typical visual tasks.
      - Blindness (also called profound visual impairment) refers to having no vision or only light perception, or the ability to determine the presence or absence of light.
      - Congenital visual impairment refers to a condition that is present at or near the time of birth.
      - Adventitious visual impairment is a condition that is acquired after birth, either in childhood or at some later point in life.
    - - Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.
    - - Legal blindness refers to the condition in which central visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses or central visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) is more than 20/200 if a visual field (the range in which objects can be seen centrally or peripherally) defect exists so that it is 20 degrees or less in each eye.
  - - - Approximately 14 million individuals age 12 or older in the United States have some type of vision impairment; of those, approximately 11 million do or could function effectively with corrective lenses.
  - - - Layer 1: the cornea, protective layer
      - Layer 2: Uveal track, nourish and blood flow
      - Layer 3: Retina
    - - Strabismus. The muscles of the eyes do not hold both eyes in proper alignment.
      - Amblyopia. One eye does not develop vision or loses vision because of nonuse, possibly caused by strabismus.
      - Cataract. The lens is cloudy and cannot transmit light rays properly to the retina.
      - Glaucoma. Damage to the optic nerve is caused when the aqueous humor does not flow properly.
- - - - Developing friendships
      - Promoting risk taking and decision making
      - Maintaining eye contact and facial orientation
      - Demonstrating confident body postures
      - Using appropriate gestures and facial expressions
      - Using appropriate voice tone and inflection
      - Expressing feelings
      - Timing messages during communication
      - Demonstrating appropriate assertiveness
    - - students with visual impairments may be socially immature, more isolated, and less assertive than other children
- - - - Consultant Model: for students who require few or no direct services related to their visual impairments
      - Itinerant Teaching Model: students attend their local schools, and general education teachers provide most of the instruction. A TVI travels from school to school to provide specialized instructional programs.
      - Resource Model: a classroom is designated in the school district to serve elementary or secondary students. It is equipped with special materials, resources, and technology, and it is staffed full time by a TVI.
      - Special Classes and Schools: full-time special classes offered in local school districts, special day schools, or private schools and specialized schools with residential options (often referred to as residential schools for the blind).
      - Inclusive Practices
        
        Ensure that all educational materials are provided in appropriate media (e.g., large print, regular print with use of optical devices, braille, recordings); new technologies are making it relatively easy for general educators to complete some of these tasks themselves, sometimes more quickly than they could be completed by the VI specialist.
        
        Ensure that the student is instructed in the use of appropriate devices and technology and that these devices are available in the learning environment.
        
        Provide specialized instruction related to compensating for the visual impairment.
        
        Recommend seating requirements and other environmental modifications (e.g., lighting control, glare reduction, reading boards).
        
        Ensure that teachers and other professionals who provide direct instruction understand the unique needs of students with visual impairments.
        
        Recommend modifications, if appropriate, in assignments or testing procedures.
        
        Collaborate with members of the educational team on methods and techniques for including students with visual impairments in routine learning experiences.
        
        Provide opportunities for students without disabilities to better understand visual impairment.