Vision Impairment, Essay Example

Definition:  Visual impairment (also known as low vision) is an extreme reduction in vision that reduces a student’s ability to function at some or all tasks.  The student may be able to use his or her remaining vision to learn through the use of adaptive techniques and devices.  Children with visual impairments may qualify for Individualized Education Plans under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2004).

Causes:  The leading causes of visual impairment are macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma.  Visual impairment at birth (congenital blindness) can be inherited or caused by an infection (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2004).

Prevalence:  According to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2004), visual impairments in children under the age of 18 occur in 12.2 of every 1,000 children.  Severe visual impairments (legally or totally blind) occur at a rate of 0.06 per 1,000 children.

Classroom Accommodations:  The level of intervention and accommodation required for children with visual impairment is dependent on the type of vision loss, the age at which it occurred, the severity of the vision loss, whether there are any additional disabilities, and the child’s overall level of functionality.

Classroom Environment:

• Provide unobstructed aisles/hallways
• Familiarize student with configuration of desks/other classroom areas
• Evaluate classroom for potential hazards

Teacher Presentation/Strategies:

• Read notes aloud while writing on the board
• Provide audio tapes of reading/instructional material

Materials:

• Physical education materials with auditory signals (such as ‘beep’ balls)
• Large-print reading material
• Raised-line paper, templates, writing guides

Assessments:

• Allow student to complete tests orally
• Allow for use of assistive devices
• Ask student what kind of assessment approach they find most helpful
• (National Association of Special Education Teachers, 2007)

References

National Association of Special Education Teachers. (2007). Visual impairment. Retrieved from http://www.naset.org/visualimpairments2.0.html

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2004). Blindness/visual impairment. NICHY Disability Fact Sheet 13. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment