Visual Impairment By Marla Leland, Roberta - PowerPoint Presentation

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Visual Impairment

By

Marla Leland, Roberta

Grubman, and Susan Barry

Slide2

What defines visual impairment?

Visual Impairment Including Blindness: a visual impairment, that even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. This term includes both partial sight and blindness. (

idea.ed.gov

)

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Legal Definition of Legal Blindness

A visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye even with correction, or when

peripheral (side) vision is narrowed to 20 degrees or less, also known as "tunnel

vision.”

Low vision is defined as no better than 20/70 but better than 20/200 in the better eye with correction.

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Vision impairment is not very common among

children

1

out of every

20 pre-school aged children will have a vision

problem that

affects their ability to learn (Prevent Blindness America, 2010)

The federal government classifies .05% of children ranging

from 6-17 as visually impaired. Less than 1%.Nearly two-thirds of children with vision impairment also have at least one other developmental disability, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, or epilepsy.(www.cdc.gov)

Prevalence of Visual Impairment In Children:

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Vision Challenges Seen Everyday:

nearsightness

, myopia light rays focus in front of rather than on retina

farsightedness

– hyperopia – light rays focus in back, behind the retina

astigmatism

– if cornea or lens is irregular

rays

are blurred or distorted

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The three leading causes of blindness in children are:

C

ortical

V

isual

I

mpairment, (

CVI)

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)Optic Nerve

H

ypoplasia

(

OHN

)

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Cortical Visual Impairm

ent

(Cerebral Blindness)

Approximately 30-40% of children with visual impairments have

CVI

C

aused

by damage to the parts of

the brain (trauma, stroke, seizure, ‘shaken baby’ etc.) Abnormal light response, light gazing Blunt or avoid

social gaze

Brief

fixations

Poor

visual acuity

Visual field loss

Fatigue

from visual tasks

Peripheral vision dominates when reaching

Visual

attention for moving stimuli is better than for static stimuli

Difficulty

seeing

object

or image in a

crowded or

busy background

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Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

Abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye which causes the

retina to detach

E

xcessive

concentrations of oxygen often cause ROP, which can lead

to blindness. Oxygen is often administered to premature babies to prevent brain damage, Premature babies, especially those born at less than 3 pounds, and/or

less

than 28

weeks

are at risk for ROP.

It

is occasionally

seen

in full-

term babies

, and those who receive

oxygen therapy

Visual accuracy varies, to blindness

Various visual defects usually found in the central field of visions,

5 stage classifications vision from a thin, flat line, to a mass,

to detachment of retina (

Yanoff

&

Duker

: Ophthalmology,

2009)

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O

ptic

N

erve Hydroplasia (ONH)

the underdevelopment of the

optic

nerve.

It might exist independently or in association with other disabilities or defects. There is some evidence to suggest that this disorder is related to alcohol or drug use by mothers during their pregnancies, but in many cases the cause is unknown.

(

National Foundation for the Blind)

Children Experience: blurred sight

color

vision problems

,

reduced contrast vision

,

poor

peripheral vision,

and

sometimes

Nystagmus

(uncontrollable shaking of the eyes).

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Amblyopia

When the proper nerve pathways are not developed fewer signals are sent to

the brain. Left untreated pathways may weaken

and be permanently damaged.

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Retinitus

Pismentosa

Nystagmus

Albinism

Pediatric Glaucoma

Cataracts

Additional Visual Impairments

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Characteristics of Children with Visual Impairments

:

1. Some physical stereotypical behaviors of visually impaired people:

a. repetitive movements such as rocking

b. tilting the head combined with rocking c. repetitive hand or finger movements d

. grimacing.

2. Intellectual

ability is not usually affected by visual impairment alone, it doesn’t affect what a child can learn, but rather how a child learns.

3. Lack of vision does not affect ability to understand and use language.4. Cognitively there may sometimes be early delays but they don’t last long.5. Socially it can be challenging.

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ASSESSMENT/ EVALUATION

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General Testing Guidelines

Test

all students on school entry and every third year after through eighth grade

Test

for visual acuity using

optotype

(Big E)/ generally

snellen

test Use Pseudoishromatic plates for testing color visionteachers observations of students’ appearance and behavior that may indicate vision difficultiesNotify the parents/guardians of students Assist parents/guardians, when necessary, in a follow-up program

Record

on health record

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Snellen

Chart

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CDE & Marin County BOE Vision Impairment definition

(

Same as IDEA definition but

add)

The

term visually impaired includes for educational purposes: Functionally blind students who because of the severity of their visual impairment rely basically on senses other than vision as their major channels for learning. Low vision students who use vision as a major channel for learning A visual impairment does not include visual perceptual (how brain understands

what

eye sees

) or

visual motor (use of hands and vision to perform a task)

dysfunction

resulting solely from a learning disability.(

ie

– dyslexia, etc.)

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Assessment Definition

:

Federal Code for Assessment:

The

Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFR), sec. 300.532:

Assessment

/Low Vision Assessment and Evaluation states that state and local educational agencies shall ensure that, at a minimum, tests and other evaluation materials must be validated and tailored to assess specific areas of educational need for individual students with visual impairments. Students must be assessed in all areas related to the

suspected

disability

.

In addition the expanded Core Curriculum for Blind and Visual Impaired

Children

:

a

body of knowledge and skills that are needed by students with visual impairments due to their unique disability-specific needs. They need core curriculum as well as expanded. The ECC is used as a framework for assessing, planning individual goals and providing instruction.

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Procedures

for Special Education Assessment of

Visually Impaired students:

Every child is required to have a vision and hearing assessment prior to the first IEP (Education Code Section 56320).

eye report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

A teacher of the visually impaired, the orientation-and-mobility specialist, and the child’s family conduct a functional vision assessment.

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Functional Assessment

Details

DEFINITION

: observing

students interacting in different environments

(

classroom, outdoors at a store) under different lighting

conditions to see how

well the student can identify objects and perform tasks. Includes extended Core Curriculum assessments

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COMPONENTS

of Functional Assessment

Vision

Assessment

Near & Distance Acuity

Peripheral visual Field

Reading Levels & Speed Current Print Functioning Examples of near & distance functioning Light Sensitivity Visual Efficiency Life / Learning skills

Assessment

Compensatory Skills

Orientation & Mobility

Social Interaction

Independent Living Sills

Recreation & Leisure Skills

Self Determination skills (older Students)

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Other Technology

Assessments

Media Assessments

Assistive

Technology

Assessment

Clinical

Low Vision Evaluations

 

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Teaching Children Who Are Visually Impaired

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Other Differences in Learning for Visually Impaired Students

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Learning Environment for Visually Impaired Students

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Do’s:

Use words: look, see, watch

Use students name when calling him/her

Read out loud what you write on the board

Encourage independence

Avoid saying “here” or “there” because that might not be enough information

Provide extra time for reading Braille

Provide extra storage for equipment

Encourage devices

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Don’ts:

Be afraid to touch but tell child first – respect students personal preference

Over protect

Worry about awkwardness – a child is a child

Be afraid to require student’s best work

Be afraid to require good behavior

Hesitate to ask what something looks like to a child

Tolerate bad behavior

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Teachers Assess Students:

In a Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM)

More time for Braille and Nemeth Code for Math

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Educational Placement

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Methods of Orientation and Mobility

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California Department of Education

In 2005, the Legislature required the State Board to adopt

Braille Reading and Braille Mathematic Standards by 2006.

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WHY BRAILLE?

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VOTE:

Who is this room feels, that with all the technology today, Braille

is becoming obsolete?

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In 1965, 50% of all visually impaired students read Braille

In 2011, 10% of all visually impaired students read Braille

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“Regarding

employment among individuals who are blind reveals that

braille use has a high correlation with employment.” (

Ryles)“Most disciplines accept that the primary indicators of socioeconomic status in the society are employment and education leading to

self

-sufficiency.” (NFB)

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Truth About Braille

Blind people who know the Braille code and use it regularly find success, independence and productivity

.

Braille is correlated with a higher educational level, a higher likelihood of employment and a higher income level.

There is a crisis in Braille literacy

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Consider this:

A good education it the key to success every American deserves an equal

opportunity to receive a good education.

Inherent to being educated is being literate.

The ability to read and write means access to information that in turn, leads

to understanding and knowledge

.

K

nowledge is power. The power to achieve, function in the family,thrive in the community, succeed in a job and contribute to society.”(NFB)

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Nearly 90% of America’s blind children are not learning to read

andwrite because

they are not being taught Braille

or

given access to it.

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What does this mean for teachers?

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Other Factors

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Teaching Braille to Students Who Are

Visually Impaired

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IDEA mandates that all blind children should be taught

Braille

unless it is determined to be inappropriate.

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The Good News!

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Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd10syL5RLY

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Perkins Expanded Core Curriculum

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“Students

must learn through doing rather than being told how

to

perform

an activity…students need safe chances to practice and fail and to then try again and be successful”(Dorinda

Rife)

 

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IMPORTANT RESOURCES

http://www.afb.org/default.aspx

- American Foundation for the Blind

 

http://www.brailleinstitute.net/

- The Braille Institute

https://nfb.org/

-National Federation of the Blind / Advocacy

Special Note for Northern California – Preschool Children:http://blindbabies.org/ - Blind Babies