Visual Impairment: Differential Skills

Visual impairments have different components to it, you could be full on blind, partially blind or just need glasses. Visual impairment means having trouble seeing or not being able to see.

Differentiated Instruction:

Is the process of where students needs are maximized by evaluating the level of development they are at and coming up with learning strategies that work with that specific child's needs. Student's interests also play a key role in helping maximizing development.

Strategies for the Classroom:

• Have the student sit in the front if they have trouble seeing. Make sure there is no glare on chalkboard/whiteboard.
• Have photocopies available to the student and make sure print is big and spaced out enough
• Verbally discuss school work with the student instead of writing it on the board
• Be patient

Assistive devices:

Braille- is the most common device used for the visually impaired. It helps them read by running their fingers over dots. The dots are usually clustered in a pattern and each pattern represents a letter from the alphabet.

Computer Assisted Technology- It has special programs that converts text into audio so that the student can listen to the computer read it out instead of using braille.

Optical Aids- Examples of optical aids include large print, magnify glass and special lighting.

Mobility Assists- A walking stick and seeing eye dog fall into this category because both things are used to help the person walk and find their way around.

It is important for people who are visually impaired to focus on their other senses to get them through day to day activities. Hearing, smell and touch are the main senses used when you cannot see.

 

Primary:

Mr. Sketch Markers:

This activity is to focus on the smell sense. Students with this exceptionality would use their sense of smell in order to identify colour. Although colour might not matter if you have a visual impairment, this activity helps them become aware and how to use other senses. For example, the orange marker would smell like an orange. 

Dance:

This activity requires students to use their sense of hearing to follow simple instructions from the teacher. If the teacher says, "Put your hands on your head" than the student would follow the instructions. For this activity the teacher would be giving out simple dance instructions that can be easily followed by the visually impaired student.

 Junior:

Cookie tray:

This involves hand over hand tracing of the letters so that the students can feel what each letter feels like traced. Three senses are used in this activity, they include taste, touch and smell. First you touch it to trace the letters, and than you smell it and than you can eat it afterwards if you please. The teacher works one on one doing hand over hand in order to help that student get a sense of how each letter is formed.

Shape Recognition:

In this activity, students are required to be able to recognize a shape by feeling it. They can also count the corners each shape has to help them with their math skills. This activity should be simple for the students that can see but since this activity is for the visually impaired it may take them a little longer to figure it out.

 

Secondary:

Goalball:

In this activity, there is a ball that has a bell on it. It is sorta like basketball but with a twist. The students need to get the ball in the net, the bell will help the students listen to where the ball will be. The teacher will than give verbal instructions to help them find the net. If the person with the ball gets tapped, they must hand the ball over to the person who tapped them. This game is to help increase physical activity even though it is a slow paced game

Make a video:

The students will make a video on what it’s like to be blind. They can dress up and discuss what they want to do for the video. Each person will have their own idea on how being visually impaired affects them. This video will help portray each person’s uniqueness to being blind. The students can even show the video to fellow classmates who can see so their peers can see what it’s like for them.

 

 

For Inspiration, watch:

 http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVrZ9-_l8UFI&h=1AQEs7mc6