Blindness+and+Visual+Impairments

Lauren Rooney Characteristics of Individuals with Disabilities Matt Ramsey Blindness/Visual Impairments October 1, 2009

In the United States, one in every one thousand children has a visual impairment so severe that special education services are required. Most of these children are classified as partially sighted or as having low vision. Low vision means they are able to read with the aid of a magnifying glass or large print books. By definition, low vision student’s vision is limited to close objects (Woolfolk 147). Children who are categorized as partially sighted have some functional sight, which is usually 20/70 or better with correction (Pierangelo 5). Even with eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery these individuals are not able to see well. Out of every 2,500 children, one of them is considered educationally blind. Educationally blind is defined as needing Braille materials in order to learn. For this classification, the student must have a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in their //better// eye //with// correction (Web). These students must use hearing and touch as their predominant learning channels (Woolfolk 147). These children have a severe condition of visual impairment and do not have what is considered functional sight (Pierangelo 5). There are many various ways that students may show signs of being visually impaired before diagnosis. Students who have difficulty seeing hold books up either very close to or very far from their eyes. They may squint, rub their eyes frequently, or complain that their eyes itch or burn. Their eyes may actually be swollen, red or encrusted. They may misread material on the chalkboard, describe their vision as being blurred, be very sensitive to light, or hold their head at an odd angle. They might become irritable when they have to do deskwork or lose interest if they have to follow an activity taking place across the room (Woolfolk 147). They may also exhibit signs of suffering from frequent headaches, cover one eye when reading or consistently lose their place while reading (Pierangelo 43). Children with visual impairments should be assessed early to benefit from early intervention programs, when applicable. Check the school records to see when the children were first evaluated. If they were assessed very early, find out if they benefited from early intervention programs (Pierangelo 151). Generally, the biggest challenge that visually impaired students face in school and in the outside world is the huge mass of printed materials. In a classroom, a visually impaired person can be hindered if they are unable to use standard print materials such as textbooks, handouts and tests. In addition to the problem of printed materials, the visually impaired student must also deal with the teacher's use of a blackboard, overhead, and audio-visual equipment. To accommodate these students, special provisions must be made (Web). Some of the common necessities include large print books, software that converts printed material to speech or to Braille which is extremely helpful for note taking, writing papers and doing assignments, personal organizers, talking appointment books or address books, variable-seed tape recorders which allow a teacher to make time-compressed tape recordings, special calculators, an abacus, three-dimensional maps, charts and models, special measuring devices, spectacle-mounted magnifiers to allow the freedom of both hands for close up tasks, as well as hand-held or spectacle-mounted telescopes which are useful for seeing longer distances (Woolfolk 147). Assistive technology for the visually impaired covers such a broad range of virtually everything from books on tape to talking wristwatches. Also, the 'typical' classroom has become more accessible to the visually impaired student due to the advances made in technology. A huge advance we have made in the technology field has been the use of computers. Teachers and students use them every single day, usually multiple times a day for activities, projects, word processing and doing research on the Internet. There are various software programs to help better accommodate the visually impaired to the advancing classroom technology. One of the major ones is screen magnification in which the monitor is larger, the font size is adjustable, and there are higher levels of magnification as well as color and contrast enhancements. Screen reading software is another example of computer centered assistive technology. Most blind computer users need visual information to be spoken or presented in Braille so the screen reading software can be used to translate information shown on the screen and translate it into spoken words using a speech synthesizer. Voice input is yet another example in which a keyboard or mouse can be used for typing words and sentences into a word processor or for operating program controls like menus and buttons (web). The overall arrangement of the room is also a major issue. Students with visual problems need to know where things are and therefore consistency matters. There needs to be plenty of space for moving around the room. Any and all possible obstacles and safety hazards, such as trash cans in the walking aisle or open cabinet doors, must be monitored. As a teacher, if you rearrange the room, give students with visual problems a chance to learn the new layout. These students must also be given a buddy for fire drills or other emergencies so they have a quick and secure way of escape to safety (Woolfolk 147). Students with visual impairments may also need help with special equipment and modifications in regular curriculum to emphasize listening skills, communication, orientation, mobility, vocation-career options, and daily living skills. Students who do in fact have low vision or are legally blind may need help in using their residual vision more effectively and in working with special aids and materials. Students who have another disability along with being visually impaired need an interdisciplinary approach and could require greater emphasis on self- care and basic daily living skills (Pierangelo 5). The effect of visual problems on a child’s development depends on the severity, type of loss, age at which their condition appears and the overall functioning level of the child. Many children who have another disability along with a visual impairment result in motor, cognitive, or social developmental delays. A young child with visual impairments has little reason to explore interesting objects in the environment and as a result may miss opportunities to have experiences and to in turn ultimately learn. This lack of exploration may continue until learning hopefully becomes motivating in itself or until intervention begins (Pierangelo 151). If the child is not able to see parents or peers, he or she may be unable to imitate social behavior or to grasp and understand nonverbal cues. Visual handicaps can create he obstacles to a growing child’s independence. Many factors need to be considered or reviewed when working with a child with visual impairments (Pierangelo 151). Assistive technology plays such a vital role in the everyday lives of the visually impaired. These individuals rely so heavily on being able to get ready, be mobile, do schoolwork along with personal tasks multiple times each and every day through the use of assistive devices and modern technology. Although there are still obstacles and barriers that make these individuals’ lives difficult and sometimes seem daunting, we have come such a long way to accommodate for their special needs so that ALL children may be provided the opportunity for a free, appropriate and public education.

Works Cited

"An Educator's Guide to Visual Disability." Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

"Low Vision Devices." //American Optometric Association//. 06-09. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

Pierangelo, Roger. The Special Educator's Survival Guide. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Print.

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2007. Print.

Lauren Rooney Characteristics of Exceptional Individuals Matt Ramsey Visual Impairment Part 2 November 24, 2009

“Disability is a //natural// part of the human experience.” Disabilities have a significant impact throughout the daily lives of those individuals affected in some way. Those who have the disability themselves are obviously profoundly impacted. However, the story certainly doesn’t end there. The individual’s family is considerably affected as well. The story of the family is often the one disregarded, forgotten or neglected. This is the very story we want people to hear. Speaking strictly about individuals at Kansas School for the Blind, the staff sees a change in the way parents react and behave to having their children attend and even board there during the week. Talking with a teacher there, she noted, “A lot of times when we first see kids, the family is very protective of the child. It is very hard for the family to send their child away to school” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1C). This is a valid reaction because after so many years of being your child’s primary reliance, it is difficult to let go of some of that role and trust strangers. “The family views change after the child has been at the school for awhile. Within a few weeks, the child becomes more independent” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1D) A parent respondent also had similar findings when it came to his family. The respondent has two sons who are visually impaired that were adopted from a foster home, along with 2 biological children. Zachary is nine and David is fifteen. The respondent and his wife have fostered thirty kids in the past ten years. Each of their kids has responded differently to Zachary and David. The oldest daughter wondered why her parents even adopted David in the first place. David’s vision is as if he is looking through a chain link fence from behind wooden slats or like having wax paper over his eyes. The oldest sister’s attitude has dramatically changed. She has come full circle and is now the first one to volunteer to watch David when both of her parents are unable to. “If we weren’t here, each of our kids would help out in whatever form or fashion to help David be as normal as he can be and have a productive life” (LR. GM. Visually Impaired. 11/13/09. 3H). “Sensory impairment takes a toll on the family-a lot depends on the degree of loss the child has” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1B). “It’s tough on the family all the way around-any kind of disability would be. It’s a challenge and I see some families doing amazingly well and other families try to pretend they don’t have a kid-they wont take them anywhere” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09. 1DD). The teachers and staff not only at Kansas School for the Blind, but many other schools as well, try to advance parent support and encouragement at home. Considering the broad range of reactions and ways in which parents and families cope with and express these reactions, the teachers do not always see this happening to the degree in which they would hope. “The greatest difficulty is follow-through and advocacy for their child. You make suggestions and they don’t follow through and help at home” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09. 1EE). “I guess I just want to believe they try to do the very best they can with what they have” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09. 1FF). Parents are encouraged and expected to be there for their children, especially when they need extra care, attention and affection dealing with their exceptionality. Who is there for the struggling parents though? Luckily for people like the parent respondent’s, there is a support organization commonly referred to as NAPVI, which stands for The National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired, as well as “PEP” which is a group that stands for “Parents Educating Parents.” They find ways to help other parents so everyone is working as a team to better educate their kids with disabilities. “My wife and I both started off with guidance counselors and psychologists –now we see neurologists, bone specialists, gastrointestinal specialists, whole health nurses and doctors” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired. 11/13/09.3F). The teacher respondent has also seen a change in the interactions and involvement of parents with visually impaired children at Kansas School for the Blind. “I’ve seen more reaching out in the last few years. More and more parents are carpooling, doing things together on the weekends and having sleepovers for the kids” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09/1V). On a similar note to the parent respondent’s “PEP” group, the Kansas School for the Blind has informational support systems in place as well. “We have parent weekends where normal and blind children’s families can come and stay in the dorms and parents go through classes about different issues. Those are really helpful” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired. 9/28/09.1U). Along with the emotional effect on the entire family, another consideration is the financial impact. In the rare case of the parent respondent, his family does not have any financial demands. “Both boys are medically covered with supplies because they are from foster care so we get money to raise them until they are nineteen” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3E). At Kansas School for the Blind, “There is a broad spectrum from the near homeless to the incredibly wealthy” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1A). The financial considerations can be as simple as corrective lenses or glasses that even children who are not visually impaired wear, to as extensive adaptive equipment. The financial impact is obviously dependent on the extent of the visual impairment. “Adaptive equipment is very, very expensive and can be a financial burden” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired. 9/28/09.1F). Speaking with a seventeen-year-old student respondent at The Kansas School for the Blind, she said, “I pay for contacts every year but there isn’t a whole lot of financial impact (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2D). Often our society just does not understand or want to deal with individuals with exceptionalities. They have a strict “Do not make eye contact” policy so they don’t have to think about or deal with the reality of the situation. They assume that because it’s not their child that they can be rude in their facial expressions or their comments. Luckily in the accepting community that David and Zachary live in, they do not receive this negative treatment. David frequently screams involuntarily as part of his disability. “If we are out in public somewhere people will come up and say they heard David scream and it’s a joking endearment” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired. 11/13/09. 3I). Sadly another aspect of the families’ lives that can change is what they are able to get out of the house and do socially. Visual impairment is a typical example of this limitation depending on the extent that the child is able to be independent. Luckily there are many families that are not ashamed of their children and want them to lead their life as normal as possible. “We still go out into the community to church, restaurants, Wal-Mart or even just to the park. The boys eat their own food we bring for them. We explain the situation and people seem to get comfortable with it” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09). I was not surprised at all to hear the satisfaction in the parent respondent’s voice when he described in detail the life his family leads. Him and his wife have helped dramatically change the lives of so many children it is truly unbelievable. They are an excellent model for all parents raising not only a visually impaired child, but any child with an exceptionality. The inspiring part is that they in turn gained their own relationships with people around them in the process of giving their children the most fulfilling life they could. “ We moved from California to Nebraska and had no aspirations to adopt these kids but are very blest due to the fact that God has led us here. This is now our family. We didn’t know what we were getting into but it has been rewarding and well worth it” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3J). “It has been one of the best decisions we could make. We have no regrets. The friendships and community are now long term, because of our special needs community, both individually and as a family. When you sink efforts into people, life is much more blest. We understand what we can do to give these kids a quality of life” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3K). The education system, in regards to children with exceptionalities who require special needs, should be a cooperative partner who is on the same team as the family. Their job is to provide the best environment for the child to learn to the best of their ability. They should be working with the parents to build an individualized education plan best suited for that //individual// //child// so they can experience the highest level of success possible. In the opinion of many education professionals, as well as parents, this is often not the case. “The IEP process is not made to protect the family. Parents are afraid to stand up because they feel ganged up on” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1L). “I feel sorry for the parents because they are overwhelmed, sitting around a table with people all saying things your kid needs, goals and objectives. It is hard because they have to be told but it is hard to hear” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1G). The parent respondent feels “There’s limited experience in a lot of the education systems to write for specific kids. The individual doesn’t get the proper adaptations due to lack of funds or experienced teachers to work with the individual needs of the student. They have the mentality that “Well it worked for this student…” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3G) This individual child will most likely be exposed to the instruction and care of more than one and sometimes more than two teachers at their school. The child must feel they can trust and rely on all of their education professionals who will work with them each and every day. The teacher respondent from Kansas School for the Blind commented, “I try really hard to be there for the vision teachers and build a relationship with the district teachers so everyone has a more positive feeling around the kid and the school” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1N). The parent respondent feel exactly the same way commenting that, “When we all work together it’s a win/win situation” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3G). The teacher respondent argues on the side that the IEP system needs some serious work. “I believe an IEP has the potential to be an excellent working document but in reality it is not. In my opinion it is a big detriment” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09/1J). “Our society has mistaken the //least// restrictive environment as the //most// restrictive environment” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1I). Many people see the IEP process in this same light and wish there was something that could be done to alter the way things have been done in the past and look toward a brighter future. “As a teacher, sometimes my hands are tied because it is a legal document and legal system. We are putting all of this in a legal document and I just wish there was a better way. People need to be able to get what they need when they need it. Children often fall through the cracks” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1H.1K). Despite school leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many regarding the IEP process, they can and do in fact make tremendous positive impacts in the lives of the children they work with. The teacher respondent said, “The way I can affect behavioral change the most is I encourage students to raise the bar for expectations- not unrealistic but high” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1M). Not only does The Kansas School for the Blind encourage their students to high achievement in the classroom, they also have a wide variety of extra curricular activities available. “Things that are good to get into include forensics, the school and community choirs, wrestling, or “goal Ball” which is a game designed specifically for the blind in which you ring a ball with a bell in it. Sighted players have to wear a blindfold. Everyone who plays has a wonderful time, it has even gone international” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1Y). The student respondent takes us through her elementary and middle school academic progression that leads her to present day at Kansas School for the Blind. “In elementary school it was ok. I had para’s in public school who helped me in a special resource room every day to read and understand stuff better. In middle school my grades dropped and I didn’t have a para in class every day. It was very difficult for me because my teachers weren’t understanding of my difficulties and said they didn’t have time to accommodate for me. Now at The Kansas School for the Blind I learn a lot more here and am taking college courses” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2E.2F.2G). The parent respondent also commented briefly on his two sons experiences in their school. “David is fifteen and has seven different kinds of seizures at any given point in the day, so he stays in the special needs classes all day. Zachary is nine and has cerebral palsy. He is n a wheelchair but interacts with the regular education classroom throughout the day. David’s cognitive ability grew by 85% so his vision has improved with age. Without this cognitive aspect he would be more severely blind so school helps him with his visual disability” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09/3A.3D). Without a doubt the impact of a visual impairment affects every member of a family. The impact however, on those around the individual, can be vastly different from the person living their daily life with the visual disability. Obviously we can only feel someone’s pain and sympathize with him or her to a certain degree. Only that individual truly knows all of the aspects of having a visual impairment. Living with a visual impairment can affect a person’s academic, social, emotional and even spiritual facets in several various ways. Academic issues depend greatly on the degree of loss the individual has. Someone who is low sighted or partially sighted will need less academic accommodations than someone who is educationally or legally blind for example. The parent respondent said of his son Zachary, “Zachary can focus on things in front of him and has voice recognition” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3C). Imagine being in a wheelchair, unable to turn your head in either direction, constantly facing forward and only seeing things directly in front of you. It must be frustrating to have that limitation but Zachary adjusts and is even able to interact with his regular education peers throughout the day. The student respondent commented on her normal weekly schedule at The Kansas School for the Bind. “I live at the school five days a week and do after school activities so I stay on the weekends once a month and travel to compete in track, cheerleading, goal ball and forensics, which means I only see my parents on the weekends” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2A). Imagine being in high school, living at a boarding school for specific individuals who have a visual impairment to some degree, just like you. You are doing great academically and the school offers college courses that you are enrolled in. You are involved in many after school programs and can even travel to compete, but this means that you can only see your parents once a month on the weekends. This idea may cause some students to not get involved due to the fact that they are homesick and want to see their family. Other students shine in this light and get excited to have independence and prove themselves. They want to show their families that they can excel with this freedom in spite of their visual impairment. The teacher respondent explained the ideal way to begin phasing kids back into the regular education system from living and being educated predominantly at Kansas School for the Blind. “If someone is there in emersion, they phase students back where they take one regular education class at school and then begin to increase” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09/1R). The teacher respondent gave insight into the beginning of the social interactions. “Friendships is a really hard thing. With kids it’s something that can’t be forced. Around fourth or fifth grade they start having negative social encounters and wow the anger really starts” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1P.1BB). She also spoke about how some kids just don’t interact with other peers. “Isolation is higher. Sadly we have special needs kids who go home on the weekends and sit in their room” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1S). Despite those kids who do not get out of the house and do things with their peers, the school promotes interaction and involvement, “Exposure is good. We encourage our kids to be involved at home and in their community, especially if they stay in our dorms during the week. It is important that they interact with their sighted peers. We try to push people to get involved” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1Q). The student respondent had a positive outlook on her social life. “Socially it’s not really that hard for me because I’m a very social person, but it can be difficult to understand when you’re talking to someone how their facial expressions look and what they’re thinking because I can only see handshakes and stuff like that” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2B). The emotional impact is a whole different story. Living with a visual impairment affects each child in a unique way depending on the degree of vision loss they are dealing with and the social experiences they have been exposed to. “Attitudes vary so much from deep pain, humility, anger, to “it’s just something I have to deal with”. Nobody is jumping for joy because o kid wants to be different. At a young age, in kindergarten, they don’t realize they are different yet” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1AA). “Secondary kids in the first few weeks are really calm, nice and compliant. Then all of a sudden they start getting comfortable with the situation and start to deal with their real feelings they’ve been masking. We get a lot dumped on us but they really work through it to be comfortable enough to live in their own skin” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1CC). The teacher respondent explained how she helps kids deal with some of this emotional burden, “I teach a self-esteem class for kids eighteen-twenty to help them deal with the issues. It’s a benefit of coming here where they can work through their issues at school so they don’t take it out on the real world” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1Z). The student respondent shared her opinion on the emotional effects, “It is stressful in public situations during the day with different mobility things. People don’t understand so it is hard to be confident and know when to need help. Emotionally, I do want vision, but I’ve been like this since I was born so I don’t know any different” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2C). The parents respondent had positive things to say about his son Zachary and his emotional aspect, “Zachary is joyous, happy go lucky, with a smile on his face. He is entertaining and included” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.1113/09.3C). Spiritually, the student respondent had an incredible outlook and humble perspective. “I feel that my visual disability is just something that was meant to be. I am sad to have it but I have a lot more experiences this way than a lot of sighted people I know. God wanted me to be this way and that’s why I am” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2K). One of the heartbreaking aspects regarding individuals with visual impairments is the limitations that they must succumb to. They live with everyday challenges many of us take for granted. “Contact ball sports are tough, especially in bigger districts and towns as they get older and bigger. I believe transportation is also an issue. Du to their visual impairment they cant get a drivers license” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09.1E.1W). The student respondent agreed and commented, “I see a lot of my sighted friends parents teaching them how to drive cars and four-wheelers. Ill never be able to do those things. I’m very open with my visual impairment, so it impacts me when I try to hang out with friends and we go to a party and I cant see where steps are or something so that’s when they help me. I don’t have any siblings but my cousins are really close to me and they’ve grown up with my visual impairment. They accept me and know I can and cant do certain things. They are willing to help me” (LR.AT.Visually Impaired.10/01/09.2H.2I.2J). The parents respondent remarked about his son David that, “He contracted Spinal Meningitis and it affected the part of his brain that focuses the eyesight. His brain is like a wuffle ball. His eyesight is like looking through a chain link fence from behind wooden slats. He sees as if there is constantly wax paper over his eyes” (LR.GM.Visually Impaired.11/13/09.3B). The teacher respondent shared an inspiring story that occurred in a small town. “Some totally blind kids play football in junior high and are so proud. One guy plays offensive linesman. They just tell him to run and he hits people” (LR.HH.Visually Impaired.9/28/09/1X). Small towns like the ones where these junior highs are located give thee kids an opportunity to be just like their sighted peers. They get to experience a sense of pride, accomplishment and worth. These boys were given the possibility to be part of a team and feel acceptance. These are the very feelings our schools should be providing for each and every student. Disability is a //natural// part of the human experience. We have seen how individuals’ lives can be so profoundly impacted by their disability, particularly a visual impairment. Visual Impairments take a specific toll on teachers, even more so on the parents and quite overwhelmingly on the individuals themselves in various facets. The responsibility we have as human beings is to treat these very individuals with the dignity and respect that we **all** //equally// deserve.