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Education for the Visually Disabled Students

Nazihah Binti Md. Salleh

B2001102

HELP Matriculation Centre, HELP University

FDENG002: Advanced English

Ms. Dalwinder Kaur

March 5, 2021
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Outline

I. Introduction
A. Opener:
B. Thesis statement: This research paper seeks to discover the way in which special
education is provided to the visually disabled students.

II. Firstly, schools accommodate for the visually disabled students.

A. Changing the school’s environment more suitable for the students
1. placing materials in consistent places
2. seated facing away from windows
B. Students are given special assistance to work more easily
1. incorporating assistive technology
2. free use of note takers and readers
3. additional time to complete work and exam

III. Moreover, they learn and are taught differently than other students.
A. Trained and certified special education teachers are needed
B. Learning aids are being used
1. braille
2. electronic text
3. audiotape
4. oral testing

IV. However, there are challenges faced by the visually disabled students when learning.
A. They may have trouble with reading and writing
B. Poor interaction with others
1. Group discussions with non-disabled students
2. isolated

V. Conclusion:
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Education for the Visually Disabled Students

Education is the key to knowledge and leads to great success as it is essential to

everyone, especially to growing young children who will lead the world throughout this

generation. Meanwhile, special education is a curriculum or facility expressly tailored for

learners with a classified condition that requires a certified educator to meet their academic

needs. Moreover, the purpose of special education is to allow students to fully develop their

capabilities with the assistance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

provided by public education (DoDEA Communications, 2019). Bateman and Cline (2016)

stated that the aim of special education is to enlighten the skills they require so they can be

competitive in the general education environment or gain as much freedom as possible for adult

life. There are different types of disabilities that are in the special education field like deafness,

blindness, autism and many more. This research paper seeks to discover the way in which special

education is provided to the visually disabled students.

First and foremost, schools accommodate for the visually disabled students.

Accommodations do not eliminate requirements at the grade level, but rather help provide access

to the material of the course. They do not adjust the volume or scope of the material that the

student is taught. Accommodations are program improvements from a traditional way of doing

things so that a student with a disability can have opportunity to partake and make the learners to

excel (Willings, 2016a). By doing so, the school would change its environment more suitable for

the disabled students. Willings (2016b) mentioned that to assist the students, they would place

materials in consistent places so that they know where it is located. Moreover, the students

would be seated facing away from windows in order to prevent their sight from being more

damaged from the light.

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Besides, students are given special assistance to work more easily. Students with visual

disabilities will need special tools to access data. For students who are blind, there is a void when

looking at the depth of technology training around the use of access technology. With poor

access technology abilities, many young people move on to postsecondary, and this can also

cause challenges with their ultimate progress and the number of years to complete (Staff Writers,

2019a). In addition, a significant component of being able to prepare and understand the

necessary material is taking notes during class lectures. Through the disability office of their

institution, students can secure the services of an appointed note taker. Notetakers are other

students who take notes that can then be translated for reading Braille or large print. Also, the

process of reading, learning and finishing tasks takes more time than sighted pupil. Students may

arrange accommodations that allow extra time for activities and extended time for in-class exams

to be completed or opportunities for testing in different environments (Staff Writers, 2019b).

Moreover, students with visual disabilities learn and taught differently than other

students. Students are clustered homogeneously by developmental stage rather than by age in

Special Education systems, and are structured to address the basic and particular educational

needs of each pupil. This particular element in Special Education requires teachers to offer

assistance and guidance to students based on their academic level rather than their physical age,

as well as the student’s curiosity and potential (Teaching Special Education, 2019). Willings

(2019a) mentioned that in order to grasp principles in a heavily visual environment, students who

are blind need advanced training. This distinctive curriculum blends instruction with meaningful

and cohesive activities. Lowenfeld, a pioneer in the area of visual disability, described three

techniques to use when dealing with students who are blind. Concrete experiences, learning by

doing, and unifying experiences are the three techniques.

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Willings (2019b) also stated that for concrete experiences, interaction with a model

differs from interaction with a real object, especially if the student has not had direct

communication and interaction with the real object. This is valid for all students, especially

specifically for visually disabled students. For learning by doing, in order to properly understand

the environment, pupils with visual disabilities must be fully engaged in all facets of the day.

Participation of these rituals will foster flexibility and reduce the student’s dependency on others.

For unifying experiences, teaching in conceptual units can assist students in making links

between and among the various topics of instruction. Units enhance vocabulary, theories, and

skills than what can be learned in daily life. Most ideas must be explicitly taught rather than

presumed to be learned by the student on their own.

Furthermore, learning aids are being used. Educators make a difference in making

schooling available to a pupil with vision loss at the outset of the student’s education. Educators

should keep all students to a high degree. To maintain academic achievement, staff, guardians,

and students can maintain constant contact with one another (Torreno, 2011a). Torreno (2011b)

has mentioned that to aid students with visual disabilities in being acquainted with their

environments, educators should retain the same classroom structure. More oral knowledge and

tactile interactions should be used in the training. The use of tape recorders can be performed on

a daily basis. It is advised that written material can be expanded or transcribed into Braille. In

reality, there are a number of instruction choices for early readers accessible to teachers.

However, there are also challenges faced by the visually disabled students when learning.

Kapur (2018a) stated that visually disabled students must learn to read in order to develop their

comprehension, and writing skills must be strengthened in order to emphasize that knowledge.

The explanation behind this is that reading and writing are capabilities that require the use of
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visual ability to learn. Learning these skills is challenging for students with visual disabilities.

They learn at a slower rate than their sighted peers because they categorize words at the letter

level rather than the entire word level, forcing them to pause often while reading. Poor

interactions occur, in this case, the importance of social interaction for students with visual

disabilities is highlighted. These students should not feel isolated and should feel like they are a

part of the social group. It’s critical to instill in them the belief that their disability will not

prevent them from carrying out their tasks (Kapur, 2018b).

To sum up everything that has been stated so far, special education has been taught to

disabled students for many years by certified educators to help them develop in their learning

and social skills. In this context, visually disabled students are highlighted. They have also faced

many problems encountering with learning like reading, writing and having poor interaction with

others.
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References

Bateman, D. F., & Cline, J. L. (2016). A Teacher’s Guide to Special Education: A Teacher’s

Guide to Special Education. In Google Books. ASCD.

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6YKHc9IAm0QuwUwAHoECAUQCA#v=onepage&q=a%20teacher

DoDEA Communications. (2019). Special Education. Dodea.edu.

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Kapur, R. (2018a, March). (PDF) Challenges Experienced by Visually Impaired Students in

Education. ResearchGate.

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lly_Impaired_Students_in_Education

Kapur, R. (2018b, March). (PDF) Challenges Experienced by Visually Impaired Students in

Education. ResearchGate.

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lly_Impaired_Students_in_Education

Staff Writers. (2019a, December 20). Best Tools & Technology for Students with Visual

Disabilities. AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org; AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org.

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Teaching Special Education. (2019). Teach.com.

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development.html