Visual Impairments

1. Visual Impairments By: Ericka Schmidt

2. Visual Impairments • : A term that describes people who cannot see well even with correction. • Legal Blindness: visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the BETTER eye after correction or a visual field that is no greater than 20 degrees.

3. A Brief History • 1784: ValentinHauy established the Institut National des JeunesAveugles in Paris. • His student, Louis Braille, developed an embossed communication system ... BRAILLE • First Schools in the United States: the Perkins School for Blind in Boston (1829), the New York Institution for the Blind (1831), & the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia (1833)

4. History Continued... • Residential Programs designed to prepare these students for daily living skills, menial jobs, & to become active members in the community. • 1970: New theory, vision should be stimulated and children should be taught to use their remaining vision more efficiently. (VISUAL EFFICIENCY). • PL 94-142: required school districts to identify and serve children with visual impairments. Many were placed in the general classroom provided with specialists

5. Common Definitions • Photophobic: sensitive to light. • Low vision: the visual impairments interfere with the ability to perform daily activities • Snellen Chart: an eye chart of clinical measurement of the true amount of distance vision an individual has under certain conditions. • Myopia: nearsightedness (can see objects close) • Hyperopia: farsightedness (can see objects far)

7. Braille • Consists of 6 possible patterns of dots arranged in two columns of three • Grade 1 Braille: each letter is spelled out using Braille letters corresponding to print letters • Grade 2 Braille: made up of contractions representing types of words or whole words similar to print short hand( most commonly used)

8. Eye Diseases • Glaucoma: disease caused by increased pressure inside the aqueous portion of the eye with loss in field vision. ( Clear in the middle, dark around the edges). • Cataract: lenses that are opaque or cloudy due to trauma or age. (Very Blurry) • Age-Related Macular Degeneration: a deterioration or breakdown of the eye's macula. This part is responsible for your CENTRAL VISION. • Diabetic Retinopathy: the most common diabetic eye disease, occurs when blood vessels in the retina change. (Random black spots)

9. Eye Diagram

10. Age-Related Macular Degeneration Glaucoma Diabetic Retinopathy Cataract

11. VIDEO 1 • Vision simulation • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVQvqmze5SU • Does anyone have any questions or comments?

12. Suggestions for Classroom

13. Tips for Safety Measures • Eliminate unnecessary obstacles • Allow children to move about freely so they can get to know the room • Inform the student if there is a new arrangement • Encourage use of a sighted guide in case of emergency

14. Assistive Technology • Screen Enlargements • Speech Synthesizers • Electronic Note-Taker • Screen Readers • Video Magnifier • Braille Translator • Seeing Eye Dog

15. Illinois School for the Visually Impaired • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2bsTOZ71Mw

16. Guide Dog • The Guide Dog Foundation breeds its own dogs including Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers • Guide Dogs are allowed to go everywhere that the public is allowed to go. (restaurants, taxicabs, hotels, planes) • It costs them more than $25,000 to complete the training for only one guide dog. • It usually takes at least 24 months to train a group of guide dogs. ThinkQuest 2005

17. Characteristics with Vision Conditions • Holding reading material close to face • Excessive rubbing of the eye • Eye fatigue • Frequent headaches • Difficulty copying down class notes from board • Difficulty with color identification • Clumsy movement in certain environments • Constantly squinting

18. Modifications for the Classroom • Large print material and tests • Oral presentation of the materials • Assistive technology • Extended time limit • Small or individual group assessment • Preferred seating • Braille transcription

19. Environmental Adaptations • Lighting: variety of lighting situations, lighting at different times of the day, light sensitivity( shades), low light (lamp), room obstructions (furniture), and glare ( non glare surface). • Size & Distance: placement and size of objects at near and at far, electronic devices, magnification, and additional storage space

20. Final Facts about Visual Impairments • Number of students age 6 to 21 with visual impairments: 0.43% • 90% of the worlds visual impaired lives in developing countries • Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in middle and low income countries World Health Organization

21. Court Case • Hallie Kirkinburgh vs. Albertson’s Inc. (1998) • A truck driver filed an ADA claim against his employer because they discriminated against his visual ability. • He has a lazy eye in his left, however, perfect vision in the right eye. • He was in an accident and he has to get re certified, however, they were not going to let him because of his impairment. • He filed a wavier through the Federal Highway Administration but Albertson Inc. declined this and offered him a non-driving position. • Plaintiff rejected the non-driving position. • Plaintiff lost in the District Court but he appealed to the United States Court of Appeals. • They ruled that he did in fact have a disability BUT that he is qualified for the job in spite of this impairment.

22. Court Case • Do you think that the ruling was fair? Why or Why not. • Should some one with a visual impairment be able to drive a commercial truck? (If the impairment does not affect their day to day life).

23. Questions ??? • 1. Myopia? Is it farsightedness or nearsightedness? • What are two safety measures to keep in mind if you have a student with visual impairments?

24. Questions ??? • Define cataract disease? • What are two characteristics of students with visual impairments? • What is the percentage of students with visual impairments from the ages of 6-21?