MODULE - Learners with Additional Needs

Learners with Difficulty Seeing

INTRODUCTION

Vision is perhaps the most important distance sense for interpreting the
world around us. It helps us to perceive and understand as to what is taking place
around us. It provides a continual feedback and a frame reference for action.
Eyes are one of the primary organs that are fully developed at birth. Visual abilities
improve rapidly during the first years of life. For all of us, vision is the primary way
we master skills for physical, psychosocial and cognitive aspects of self and
environment.
Vision is a distance sense, which provides information from
outside our bodies. The term “visual impairment” is used as
a generic term. Often other terms like blind and low vision
are also used, depending on the nature and degree of
loss, which in turn affects the individual in significant way
like difficulty in mobility, access to printed information and
independent living.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
After working through this Module you should be able to :
a. Define legal and educational blind;
b. enumerate and describe the types and causes of the problems of the
vision;
c. enumerate and describe the assessment procedures in determining the
cognitive ability, communication skills and socio-behavioral traits of
student with problems in vision
d. enumerate and describe the types of educational programs and
instructional strategies for students with vision problems.
e. gain inspiration from the abilities of person who are blind or have low
vision

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 A. ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Close your eyes tightly for a few hours. Better still, cover them with
an eye shade or a piece of back cloth so that you cannot see
anything. Then walk around the house and look for familiar things
that you use every day in the bedroom, bathroom and
in the kitchen.
Next, do the usual activities you engage in, such as
cleaning the house, changing your clothes or taking a
bath and preparing your meals.
Write a report on your experiences as a person without
sight.

B. Analysis

After the activity, try to answer some guide questions for your report.
- How well did you do your usual activities?
- What problem did you meet? How did you solve them?
- How did you feel about the whole experience?

C. Abstraction

Blindness and Low Vision

There are two general definitions of blindness. The first is the legal
definition that is based on measurement of visual acuity, field of vision and
peripheral vision.
Visual Acuity - Visual acuity is the ability to clearly distinguish forms or
discriminate details at a specific distance. Normal visual acuity is
measured by reading letters, numbers and other symbols from a chart
20 feet away. The Snellen chart is commonly used for this purpose. The
sizes of the letters in the chart correspond to the appropriate distances
where they can be read with normal vision. Thus, when a person can
read the row of letters marked 20/20 correctly, he or she has normal
vision. His or her visual acuity is 20/20, that is, he or she can read the
letters that normal vision permits to be read 20 feet away when seated
20 feet away from the chart.
Field of Vision - The field of vision refers to the area that normal eyes
cover above, below and on both sides when looking at an object or
when gazing straight ahead. The field of normal vision covers

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 approximately a range of 180 degrees. When looking directly at an
objet, the central field of vision is used.
Peripheral Vision - The peripheral vision covers the outer ranges of the
field of vision. A person may have poor central vision but good
peripheral vision. Tunnel vision results from an extremely restricted field
of vision. It is like looking at the objects in the environment through a
narrow tube or tunnel. The field of vision can decrease slowly
undetected among children and adults over a period of years. A
complete eye examination should include both visual acuity and field
of vision.
Legal Blindness Legal blindness refers to the condition where visual acuity
is 20/200 in the better eye after the best possible correction with glasses or
contact lenses. The field of vision, whether central or peripheral is limited to
an area of 20 degrees or less from the normal 180-degree field. A legally
blind person with his or her eye glasses or contact lenses on can see or read
only at 20 feet objects and letters that those with normal vision can see or
read 200 feet away. The person experiences difficulties in everyday
activities especially in discerning fine details of objects and things in the
environment. In the United States, persons who are legally blind are eligible
to receive a wide range of benefits from the government. These include
special education or vocational rehabilitation services, free mail service
and income tax exemption.

Educational Definition
Not all legally blind persons are totally blind. In total blindness the person is
absolutely without sight but may have light and movement perception and
travel vision. The degrees of blindness include light perception (person can
differentiate between light and dark, day and night), movement
perception (person can detect if an object or person is in motion or in still
position) and travel vision (field of vision is enough to travel safely in familiar
areas). Although classified as blind, the person can still use his or her residual
vision.
In special education, children who are blind are differentiated from
those who have low vision. Blind children use their sense of touch to red
Braille and train in orientation and mobility to move around and travel
independently. A child with low vision learns to read materials in large print.
Corn’s definition of low vision emphasizes the functional use of vision. Low
vision is a level of vision that with standard correction hinders an individual
in the visual planning and execution of tasks, but which permits
enhancements of the functional vision through the use of optical or non
optical aids and environmental modifications or techniques.

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TYPES AND CAUSES OF PROBLEMS OF VISION
The inability of the eyes to function efficiently may be traced to:
1. errors of refraction
- Hyperopia or Farsightedness
- Myopia or Nearsightedness

2. imbalance of the eye muscles

Strabismus- different images are cast on each retina resulting to cross-
eyedness or squinting.
Diplopia or Double Vision- results when the brain cannot fuse the
differences in the images cast on the retina into a single image.
Ambylopia- occurs when vision is suppressed in one eye and it
becomes weak or useless.
Nystagmus- is a condition in which there are rapid involuntary
movements of the eyeball that can result to nausea, vomiting and
dizziness.
3. diseases
Diabetic Retinopathy- occurs when diabetes mellitus interferes with
the flow of blood to the retina causing it to regenerate.
Cataract- caused by the clouding of the lens
which results to progressive blurring of vision
and eventually blindness occurs.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of
severe, irreversible vision loss in people over
age 60. It occurs when the small central
portion of the retina, known as the macula,
deteriorates. The retina is the light-sensing
nerve tissue at the back of the eye.
Coloboma-is a degenerative disease in which the central and or
peripheral areas of the retina are not completely formed.
4. trauma or accidents

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Impact of Vision Impairment and Blindness

The learning processes of students with vision impairment may be affected in the
following ways:

• Students with vision impairment may access information in a variety of ways,

for example Braille, audio-tape, or enlarged print. Braille readers cannot
skim read and may take up to three times as long as other students to read
a text. Students with some vision may be large-print readers. Many will be
unable to read examination questions and handouts in standard print or
read their own handwriting when answering examination questions. They
may also be unable to take their own notes. Extra time is needed to carry
out some tasks, such as locating words in a text when shifting from one
reading medium to another.
• Students who need information put into alternative formats must wait, often
up to six to eight weeks, for the material to be produced for them. This
means that they will often fall behind other students in the class.

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 • Students with vision impairment may feel isolated in the learning
environment, which can have an impact on learning.
• Headaches often result from eyestrain. This may reduce considerably the
study time available to these students.
• Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. It is difficult for
students who cannot see the body language and interactions of others to
feel comfortable about participating. Judging when it is appropriate to
interrupt or to take a turn in discussion is particularly difficult.

Teaching Strategies

There is a range of inclusive teaching and assessment strategies that can

assist all students to learn but there are some specific strategies that are useful in
teaching a group which includes students with vision impairment.

We often take for granted the amount of visual information received every day.
Many students with a vision impairment do not have a lifetime of visual
experiences to draw upon. It may be necessary to consider the amount of
assumed visual content in your subject when designing learning tasks.

• Prepare as much information as possible in electronic format - this makes it

much easier to provide materials in accessible formats and allows users with
disabilities to adapt the information to a format which is suitable for them.
• Make required book lists and course materials available early so there is
sufficient time for them to be reproduced in audio or Braille, if required.
• Indicate compulsory texts in your reading list, noting important chapters if
possible. Specifying the order of reading within a text is helpful, as it can
take many weeks to have a book reproduced into audio or Braille.
• For students with vision impairment your teaching style will need to be
‘verbal’. Think about how to communicate information to students who
cannot see what you are doing.
• Verbalise what is written on the blackboard and on PowerPoints. Talk
through any calculations as they are made or procedures as they are
carried out. Read any printed information and describe any charts or
graphs being used.
• Academic activities which take place off-campus (such as industry visits,
interviews or field work) may pose problems and on-campus alternatives
may need to be considered.
• Provide an individual orientation to laboratory equipment or computers in
order to minimize the anxiety likely in an unfamiliar environment.

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 • Consider supplementing laboratory practical’s, experiments or field trips, for
example by audio taping commentaries.
• Inform the student if you plan to use videos, slides or PowerPoint, and discuss
alternative ways of presenting the necessary information.
• Because students with vision impairment are generally slower than other
students in completing reading tasks (reading is slower; considerable time is
involved in getting material taped or Brailled), provide reading lists well
before the start of a course so that reading can begin early. Consider
tailoring reading lists and provide guidance to key texts.
• Providing the student with a vision impairment with prior notice that you plan
to use a film or video in class allows him/her the option to request to see it
beforehand. This will enable him/her to sit very close to the screen or have
someone explain the film or video. It would be helpful to 'pause' on
important points when the student is viewing the resource in class with
others.
• A student may have difficulty finding his/her essay or assignment in a
pigeonhole or amongst a pile of other students' work.
• Students may not be able to read your hand-written comments. It would be
helpful if you could negotiate alternative feedback mechanisms with the
student.
• Students are usually able to access online learning materials with the use of
assistive technologies if websites follow accessible web design guidelines.
• The vision of some students may be affected by the glare from fluorescent
lights or sunlight so you may need to attend to some aspects of your
teaching environment. This should be done unobtrusively.
• Use tactile graphics where necessary

Assessment Strategies

In considering alternative forms of assessment, equal opportunity not a

guaranteed outcome, is the objective. You are not expected to lower
standards to accommodate students with a disability, but rather are required to
give them a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Once you have a clear picture of how the disability impacts on learning, you
can consider alternative assessment strategies:

• Students with a vision impairment may need particular adjustments to

assessment tasks. Once you have a clear picture of how the disability
impacts on learning you can consider alternative assessment strategies.
• Provide extensions to assignment deadlines if extensive reading has been
set. Consider setting alternative assignments in which students have the

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 opportunity to work intensively on a few selected texts rather than having to
read widely.
• Examination papers may need to be enlarged or Brailled, with tactile
diagrams, maps etc. It may be necessary to provide heavy line paper, a
scribe or special writing implements.
• Some students may undertake examinations using a personal computer with
assistive software. Some may need other assessment adjustments such as a
reader/scribe, an oral examination, audio taped questions or large print
papers. It may be necessary to provide extra space for equipment and
specific personnel or a separate examination venue if the noise from
equipment being used is likely to be distracting for other students.
• Provide extra time in examinations. Some students with vision impairment will
require double time for examinations so time for rest breaks will be essential.
Take-home examinations or split papers are a preferred option under such
circumstances.

Tactile graphics

People with a vision impairment are finding tactile graphics extremely valuable
and, in some cases, vital for successful study, work and leisure. While people with
a vision impairment are routinely provided with text transcribed into Braille,
audio or large print, the pictures, diagrams and maps which accompany text
are often omitted or only very briefly described.

Visual graphics can effectively be converted into tactile graphics, even for the
highly graphical information contained in maps and scientific material. This is not
simply a matter of taking a visual image and making some kind of tactile
photocopy – the tactile is a considerably less sensitive sense than the visual.

Visual graphics need to be re-designed by experts, in a variety of formats such

as vacuum-formed (thermoform), swell paper (microcapsule paper) and
embossed (such as that produced on a Braille printer). They can also be
accompanied by labels and descriptions in Braille or audio format.

Tactile graphics are useful when:

• the user is print-impaired but has some tactual ability

• a concept not easily described in words
• a real object is unavailable for touching
• the shape, form or pattern is significant
• it is necessary to illustrate scale and explain maps, technology or biological
relationships

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 • a one-time reference or reminder is needed
• the educational experience can be enhanced.

Tactile graphics are not, however, exact replicas of the original, nor are they
good for fine detail and representing very large graphics. They should not be
used without training and support materials.

Colour Blindness

Colour blindness (or colour deficiency) is typically a genetic condition, although

it can also be the result of injury, disease or ageing. (Although not actually
called colour blindness, age-related colour deficiency is a result of the yellowing
of the corneas, which severely hampers the perception of violet and blue.)

It is much more common in men than in women - around one in 12 men have
some kind of colour perception problem. There are many different types and
degrees of colour blindness. It is extremely rare to have monochromasy, the
complete absence of any colour sensation

REFERENCES

Inciong, T., Quijano, Y., Capulong, Y. & Gregorio, J. (2007). Introduction to

Special Education. Quezon City: Rex Printing Press Company, Inc.

Handbook in Special Education SPED Division

Managing Children with Special Needs. A special Education Handbook

Inciong, T., Quijano, Y., Capulong, Y. & Gregorio, J. (2007)
K.Eileen Allen, G.E. Cowdery (2012). The Exceptional Child. Inclusion in Eary
Chidhood Education. Wadsworth Cengage Learning

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https://www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-teaching/specific-disabilities/blind-vision-
impaired/

https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/8830/accessible-physics-concepts-for-
blind-students-us/

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