Visual Impairment Education

A specialized educational placement may be due to the presence of additional disabilities that create complex educational needs or to the preference of the student's family. Some specialized schools encourage short-term placements for students with visual impairments who need to work on a specific skill such as orientation and mobility or assistive technologies. This option may be especially worthwhile after a student experiences a decrease in vision and needs an intensive opportunity to learn adaptive skills. Educational summer programs allow students with visual impairments to socialize with peers who have common experiences, these programs remember are valuable in helping them develop an understanding of the effects of their own low vision or blindness.
instruction in skills that are not part of the standard curriculum. Orientation and mobility instruction is vital to teach students to use all senses to identify their position in space and to move to a destination. For many students, efficient travel will include instruction in the use of a long cane to provide information on the immediate environment. Skills in orientation and mobility should be taught by professional orientation and mobility specialists. Other curricular areas important for students who are visually impaired include instruction in daily living skills, career development, communication including literacy, use of assistive technology, use of functional vision, and social skills. Children with visual impairment often require adaptations to access the regular educational curriculum. For the student with low vision, these may include increased contrast and color highlighting, lighting adaptations, varied time requirements, use of optical devices, and auditory materials. A student who is blind may use Braille, tactile adaptations such as raised maps, speech access, use of real objects and materials, and auditory descriptions.
Most students with visual impairments have some usable vision. Their visual learning can become more efficient if they can enhance their skill to use their vision through training or the use of assistive devices. The academic curriculum appropriate for students with visual impairments is determined by their cognitive abilities. The goals and objectives set for students without visual impairments do not need to be changed for a student due solely to a vision problem, though with visual impairments into general education settings As inclusive programs for students with disabilities increase in number, general education teachers will need to understand the effect that disabilities have on students. Such understanding will allow them to make appropriate accommodations and adaptations to design inclusive educations for students with disabilities.

http://www.nad.org

http://www.nfb.org