VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Cristina Cameron
Definition
Visual Impairement is defined as the consequence of
a functional loss of vision rather than the eye disorder
itself.
There are four types of visual impairments. They are:
1. Partially sighted
2. Low Vision
3. Legally Blind
4. Totally Blind

Partially Sighted
There is some type of visual problem that has
resulted for the child to need special education
Low Vision
Refers to severe visual impairment (does not only
include distance vision)
Would apply to people who are unable to read at a
normal viewing distance even with glasses
Use vision and other senses to learn
May need accommodations such as larger print, more
lighting and sometimes Braille
Legally Blind and Totally Blind
When a person has less than 20/200 vision in their
better eye
Very limited field of vision. Only 20 degrees at the
widest point
Learn by using Braille and other non-visual media

Characteristics of Visual
Impairment
Signs of Visual Impairment
consistently sitting too close to the TV
holding a book too close
squinting
tilting the head to see better
frequent eye rubbing when your child is not
sleepy
sensitivity to light
excessive tearing
closing one eye to read


Other Characteristics
It is believed up to 80% of what children learn is
through visual cues
Imagine how difficult it must be for a child who cannot
see those visual cues!
A young child with visual impairments has little
reason to explore interesting objects in the
environment and, thus, may miss opportunities to
have experiences and to learn. This lack of exploration
may continue until learning becomes motivating or
until intervention begins.

Results of Not Exploring
Unable to imitate social behavior
Takes longer for a child to become independent
Can impact social, motor, learning and cognitive
development
Cannot develop social behavior, and therefore have a
lot of trouble making friends
Low self-esteem from not being able to make friends
Immaturity
isolation
Impact on Academic
Performance
Problem Areas
Children learn most things by visual cues, so if the
child is unable to see those cues some areas are going
to be difficult
Academic Performance may suffer a bit, particularly in
reading and writing
In math and science many diagrams and pictures are
needed to solve problems that the students will now
have to imagine.
In math it will be difficult for the student to
understand every step of the problem since they
cannot see it
In social studies it may be difficult for the students to
visualize where things are on maps and how things
looked in the past since they cannot see the pictures.
This may make the lesson more difficult to understand
Assistance
Some ways to assist these students in your classroom are:
Braille textbooks
Recorded notes
Sitting students in the front of the room
Using a lot of verbal cues
Pairing the student with another student who has
good vision and they can ask questions from
throughout the lesson
Assistive technology
Impact of Visual Impairments
on Behavior
Behavior Common
Appears "clumsy," especially in a new situation
The child cannot see what is going on and cannot see
how everyone else is acting. So they are unsure how
to act and will appear awkward.
Holds head in an awkward position to look at something
If a child can only partially see they will often try different
positions to finally find the perfect position so they can see the
object they are trying to look at.
"Tunes out" when information is on the chalkboard or in a
book which the student cannot read
Since the child cannot see the information on the board they
become bored and stop paying attention. This is an example
of why it is so important to use visual cues when teaching.
Also if the child cannot see the book they are supposed to be
reading they are going to become bored and stop paying
attention.

Behavior Common
Constantly asks a neighbor to tell him/her what is going
on
Since the student cannot see what is going on in the
lesson they may ask their neighbor what is happening.
This is actually a sign of wanting to learn but just needing
some extra help.
Shows signs of fatigue or inattentiveness
If the student cannot see what is going on in class school will
become very boring and it may become difficult for the child
to concentrate and stay awake in school.
Exhibits poor self-concept and ego development
Students with visual impairments face many struggles in
school; in the classroom from not being able to see the
lesson and with their peers from not being able to see
their social behavior and so not always knowing hot to
act. These problems and discouragements can give the
students a low ego and self-esteem
Impact on Social and
Emotional Development
Results of a Visual Impairment
A child with a visual impairment may seem
uninterested in various things, unable or not wanting
to communicate with other people and uninformed
about how to play with his peers
Other children may perceive this child as awkward and
weird. As a result the child with the visual impairment
may be avoided by his peers
Social interactions for a blind child are very difficult.
They cannot see facial expressions and this is a huge
piece of information that is missing when trying to
understand a situation

Results of Visual Impairments
Some studies have shown that children with visual
impairments interact more with adults than peers, and
participate in more solitary activities than would be
expected for their age.
Other studies compared the behaviors of visual
impaired children playing inside and outside. It was
found that children with visual impairments
participated in more interactive play when they were
indoors and more parallel play when they were
outdoors. It was thought that children who have visual
impairments are challenged to engage in interactions
when confronted by the large space of a playground
and childrens tendency to be mobile.

Results of Visual Impairment
Child is usually fearful of the unknown or hesitant to
explore it
Parents or other adults may become overprotective of
the child since they may feel sorry for them and think
they are trying to help them
Overprotective adults discourage the child from
exploring new things
Without concrete experiences from new things , the
child will not develop meaningful concepts or be able
to describe or think about them.
The child may also be less independent than other
kids their age


Results from Visual
Impairments
Socially immature
Isolated
Less assertive with their peers than other kids their age
without vision problems
Because of the difficulties these children face they may
develop a low self esteem
Instructional Strategies
Strategies
Verbalize everything they write on an overhead or
blackboard and be precise with their language.
For example, if you are reducing have finished a
problem and the final answer is 9/21, dont just say
and reduced is 3/7. Instead explain every step.
Instead say To reduce 9/21 we need to divide the
top and the bottom by 3. So if we take the top of
the fraction which is 9 and divide it by 3 we get 3.
And then we take the bottom of the fraction which
is 21 and divide it by 3 we get 7. So our final answer
is 3/7.
If the Braille learner still has difficulty keeping up,
the math teacher should be encouraged to give the
student a copy of the notes prior to class if pre-
prepared or immediately after. Another alternative
might be for a classmate to make a copy of their
notes to share. This way the student can
concentrate on the lesson instead of trying to write
something they are trying to imagine what it looks
like
Give worksheets, tests, homework assignments,
etc. to special education teachers in advance so
they can get it written into Braille so the blind
student can do the work at the same time as the
other students

Strategies
Use rhymes and sayings to help the students
remember math rules. For example add the opposite
when working with negative numbers. FOIL is First,
Outside, Inside, Last. Rules of Multiplying and
Dividing Integers Song
Describe picture or diagram that is used to solve the
problem as you draw it
Get textbooks in Braille or large print or get recordings
of textbooks and/or lectures for students
Allow students to sit in the front of the class and
provide them with extra light when necessary
Email parents of children to see if they have any
specific suggestions that can help their child
Strategies
Have your classroom arranged in groups so the student
will always be able to ask a classmate for further
assistance if there is something specific they need
described
Meet with the student once a week to discuss how they
are doing, if they need any extra help and if they have
ideas if there is anything else you can do in the
classroom that would help them to learn better
Assistive Technology
Braille translation software and equipment: converts
print into braille and braille into print.
Braille printer: connects to a computer and embosses
braille on paper.
Screen reader: converts text on a computer screen to
audible speech.
Screen enlargement software: increases the size of text
and images on a computer screen.
Braille notetakers: lightweight electronic note-taking
device that can be connected to a printer or a braille
embosser to produce a printed or brailled copy.
Optical character reader: converts printed text into
files on a computer that can be translated into audible
speech or Braille with appropriate equipment and
software.
Electronic braillewriter: produces braille, translates
braille into text or synthetic speech.
Talking calculators: calculates with voice output.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV): enlarges an image to
a larger size and projects it on a screen
Magnifiers: enlarges images
Telescopes: used to view distant objects

Bibliography
Blindness/ Visual Impairment. National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities,
2004.
http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment
Hooper, S.R. and W. Umansky, Social and Emotional
Developments in Children with Sensory Impairments.
Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. Education.com
http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-
emotional-development-sensory-impairments/
Olde, Teresa. Visual Impairments. The Gale Group,
education.com
http://www.education.com/reference/article/visual-
impairments1/
Special Education, Maryville City Schools
http://www.ci.maryville.tn.us/mhs/MCSsped/visual.h
tm
Strickling, Chris. Impact of Visual Impairment on
Development. Texas School for the Blind and Visually
Impaired/ http://www.tsbvi.edu/infants/3293-the-
impact-of-visual-impairment-on-development
Teaching Strategies. Texas School for Blind and
Visually Impairedhttp://www.tsbvi.edu/resources-
math/3237-teaching-strategies


Bibliography Continued
Visual Impairment. Special Education, Maryville
City Schools
http://www.ci.maryville.tn.us/mhs/MCSsped/visual.h
tm
Visual Impairment (Including blindness).
http://arksped.k12.ar.us/rules_regs_08/3.%20SPED%2
0ELIGIBILITY%20CRITERIA%20AND%20PROGRAM
%20GUIDELINES%20FOR%20CHILDREN/PART%20I
%20ELIGIBILITY%20CRITERIA%20AGES%205-
21/L.%20VISUAL%20IMPAIRMENT%20INCLUDING
%20BLINDNESS.pdf