Visual Impairments

Visual impairment has many conditions that are included under the term including:

The IDEA definition of a visual impairment is: the inability or limited ability to receive information visually. Being legally blind means seeing 20/200. Usually having some

strabismus, where the eyes look in different directions and do not focus simultaneously on a single point; congenital cataracts, where the lens of the eye is cloudy; retinopathy of prematurity, which may occur in premature babies when the light-sensitive retina hasnt developed sufficiently before birth; retinitis pigmentosa, a rare inherited disease that slowly destroys the retina; coloboma, where a portion of the structure of the eye is missing; optic nerve hypoplasia, which is caused by underdeveloped fibers in the optic nerve and which affects depth perception, sensitivity to light, and acuity of vision; and cortical visual impairment (CVI), which is caused by damage to the part of the brain related to vision, not to the eyes themselves.

What to look for:

Frequent rubbing or squinting of the eyes. Short attention span/day dreaming Poor literacy skills. (Reading, fluency) Frequent headaches do to reading or focusing Squinting or covering eyes. Poor hand eye coordination Getting closer than normal to homework, reading, or objects.

What this means for your teaching?

This will depend on the specific childs needs, however it is nice to consider Expanded core curriculum: as essential to these students as the traditional core i.e. Appropriate social behaviors, proper eating behaviors, keyboarding, writing and proficiency in using assistive technology. Using a whiteboard with black ink will make it a bit easier to see. Providing the student with black lined paper versus blue. Always verbally express what you are writing on the board. Call the students by name; this helps the students each peers voice. Allow them to be Be as specific as possible, dont generalize. learn If possible or necessary assign a peer buddy, usually if this is necessary it will be specified.

Tips for Teachers:

Know your students and their limits.

Resources:
http://www.utahparentce nter.org/disabilities/vibli nd/ http://nichcy.org/wpcontent/uploads/docs/fs 13.pdf http://www.usdb.org/def ault.aspx http://www.usor.utah.gov /division-of-services-forthe-blind-and-visuallyimpaired/dsbvi-overview/ http://www.afb.org/defau lt.aspx http://www.aph.org/ http://www.nyise.org/bli ndness.htm https://www.learningally. org/ http://www.viguide.com/

Decide which accommodations would be the most beneficial.

Consult with the parents and discuss the IEP.
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Always use the resources provided by the district