Visual Impairments

Definition
"An impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness."-IDEA

• “Partially sighted” indicates some type of visual problem has resulted in a need for special education;
• “Low vision” generally refers to a severe visual impairment, not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of vision and other senses to learn, although they may require adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and, sometimes, braille;
• “Legally blind” indicates that a person has less than 20/200 vision in the better eye or a very limited field of vision (20 degrees at its widest point); and
• Totally blind students learn via braille or other non-visual media.*

Causes

Globally the major causes of visual impairment are:

• uncorrected refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism), 43 %
• cataract, 33%
• glaucoma, 2%.**

Incidence
An estimate of 12.2 in 1,000 children are affected by visual impairments.

Resources
*http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment
http://www.cecdvi.org/
http://www.afb.org/default.aspx
http://www.spedex.com/napvi/
**http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
http://www.visionaid.org/
***http://www.projectidealonline.org/visualImpairments.php

Teaching Strategies

Adapting your classroom to accommodate a student with a visual impairment is a relatively easy task—it just requires an awareness of the student’s level of visual functioning (how the student sees) and how the student works and learns. For example, for the student with low vision, make sure that he is near the front of the room where he can see the blackboard. Control lighting variables when presenting learning materials to those students who are sensitive to light and glare. Use verbal cues with those students who cannot see body movements or physical cues. A trained teacher of students visual impairments can help you make a few simple changes to classroom design that may mean all the difference in the education of the student with a visual impairment.

One key accommodation that is absolutely essential is access to textbooks and instructional materials in the appropriate media and at the same time as their sighted peers. For students who are blind this may mean braille and/or recorded media. For the student with low vision, this may mean large print text or the use of optical devices to access text and/or recorded media while in class. Working closely with a student’s teacher of students with visual impairments in advance helps ensure accessible materials and availability of these materials in a timely manner.***