Being Blind in Inclusive Schools

1. Being Blind in Inclusive Schools ONUR İŞBULAN

2. The Effects of Blindness • How important is vision to learning? • How many areas of ones life does lack of vision affect? • What must educators do to ensure the student is ready to face the world when they leave their classroom?

3. Vision Loss • The term vision loss refers to individuals who reported that they have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses, as well as to individuals who reported that they are blind or unable to see at all. This estimate pertains to a nationally representative sample of the non-institutionalized civilian population 25 years of age and over.

4. Legally Blind • In North America and Most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible. This means that a legally blind individual would have to stand 20 ft (6.1 m) from an object to see it- with vision correction- with the same degree of clarity as a normally sighted person could from 200 ft (61 m)

5. Visually impaired facts • Visual impairment refers to partial or total vision loss • 35,000 citizens of MA are legally blind • 10 million people in US are blind • Legal blindness compares someone that has lost enough vision so that the farthest away that they can see an object is from 20 ft away compared to a person with perfect vision that can see the same object from 200 ft away • visual impairments during youth usually come from accidents (getting hit in the eye, or in the head with a baseball, or from a car accident) • Congenital Blindness occurs at birth and can be caused by- • Inherited traits • Infection (iegerman measles)

6. 1 in 4 people with vision loss!!! • Approximately 5.7 million people with vision loss in the U.S. have a family income of less than $20,000. There are approximately 14.6 million people with vision loss in the U.S. that have a family income of $20,000 or more

7. Sensory Impairment- two types • Vision - The capacity to see, after correction, is limited, impaired, or absent and results in one or more of the following: reduced performance in visual acuity tasks; difficulty with written communication; and/or difficulty with understanding information presented visually in the education environment. The term includes students who are blind and students with limited vision. • Deaf-Blind - Concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes severe communication and other developmental and educational needs

8. Types of visual impairment conditions • Amblyopia- reduced vision in an eye by lack of use (related to cross eye) • Cataracts- cloudy lenses. Congenital cataracts found in babies • Diabetic retinopathy- blood vessels in eyes are damaged due to diabetes. Occurs quickly • Glaucoma- increased internal pressure of the eye, damages optic nerve. Occurs in babies, children, and teens • Macular degeneration- gradual and progressive deterioration of the macula. generally age related but young people may also develop this condition

9. Types of visual tests • Visual acuity test- reading an eye chart at various distances • Visual field test- tests field of vision • Tonometry test- determines fluid pressure in ones eye for glaucoma

10. If my child were blind what would her/his options for education be? • Perkins School • Oldest school for blind and visually impaired in country • Kindergarten to age 22 • Watertown MA • 200 student • 1:2 staff to pupil ratio (many staff are themselves blind or visually impaired)

11. Variety of opportunities • Physical and language therapy • Prevocational training • Independent living skills • Academic work ranges from ungraded classes to a fully accredited, traditional high school program

12. Early Curriculum • sensory skills (vision, touch, hearing) • communication and early literacy skills • social skills • the use of assistive/adaptive technology • orientation and mobility • self care skills • play skills

13. Secondary Curriculum • English (Grades 9-12) • English as a Second Language • Braille Literacy • Creative Writing • Theater Arts • Mathematics • Algebra I and II • Geometry Science • Government • French • Spanish • Earth Science • Biology • Chemistry • Physics • Technology and Engineering • Social Studies • Geography • World History • United States History • Economic • Computer Use

14. Independent Living, Social and Recreational Studies • Creative Arts • Handbells • Instruments • Orchestra • Voice • Music Makers • Chorus • Chamber Singers • Piano • Music Braille • Art • Crafts • Independent Living • Orientation & Mobility • Adult Living • Home and Personal Management • Handwriting • Health/Sex Education • Social Skills • Physical Education • Adapted Physical Education • Modified Fitness • Wheelchair Adapted Physical Education • Large Group Games • Swimming • Community Fitness

15. Teaching Children who are Deaf-blind • Etiology • Characteristics • Communication Techniques • Teaching strategies

17. Etiology of Deaf-blindness • Rubella • Usher Syndrome I & II • Congenital deafness & RP (I) • Uses sign • Late onset deafness & RP (II) • Mostly uses speech • Meningitis • CHARGE Syndrome

18. Etiology of Deaf-blindness Cont. • Prematurity • Parental use of drugs • STD’s • Other

19. Characteristics of Children with Deaf-blindness • Heterogeneous group • Multiplicative of deafness or blindness • Methodical • Need for sameness • May become frustrated • Desire for communication • Enjoy movement • Slides, climbing, swings • Swimming, dancing • Scooters, jumping on trampoline

21. Characteristics continued • Need for multiple choices • Need for Ecological Task Analysis • Need for instruction to be flexible • Need for all incidental information to be given to them • Share knowledge of progress on rubric or checklist

22. Communication • Sign language • Tactile • In small space • Far away • Voice and sign • Todoma possible • Voice only • May use microphone • May use gestures

26. Teaching Techniques • Use multiple teaching modes • Use the techniques of • Coactive movement • Physical guidance • Brailling ** Document all teaching techniques used • Decrease physical cues to natural cues • Link movement to language and explain the how, why and what of all activities • One person teaches at a time-more than one touch is confusing

27. Teaching Techniques • Task analyze • Be creative • Be patient-repeat skills until student understands • Be flexible • Observe movement and modify as necessary • There is more than one way to do many activities

30. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE ONUR İŞBULAN