VIKAS

EDUCATION OF
EXCEPTIONAL

CHILDREN

KC PANDA
 tly Handicapped Children
yistually
uate
n if the visua

rely cially trained to

specially
125
for iculum meansCacher By and
art for
port for acadoor the large these schools
school are residential in character.
ent and so on. academics, .sing Braille teach at these schools the same
rily The othe mobilityymaltraining
school. Children
given all
are
and orientation, music, assistance and
ren
rth
andicapped alternative
and the partial has
has been the integrated
social activities

to eated Education
Integrated sighted with resource roomschooling
facilities.
for
visually
is for the
Visually
handicapped children
iculum should be th dren Visually Handici
can be
educated
armation preaomunantly Same. But the
visually
in the
regular class. The
from touch
and impaired child receives the
hearing.
s p e c

Hence, there is no need of

s Pproach to teaching
should be exposed to a plus should be
a
Plus curricul is
usedcurriculum.
multi-sensory and he
skind to heln
to
compensatory. This
skill developrhelp the visually impaired and is not
plus curriculum include: pment always facilitates extra but
better Areas learning.
a. Braille of
b. Use of equipments
C. Orientation and mobility
d. Social skills
e. Daily living skillraino qolsvsb ol sVerl wRido otnsinO
f.Sensorytraining. iome rbsiol aitnerd to seme boaitqo yllaueiy srt
Co-curricular activities should include intellectual o boesd od bisod
etc.).
writing etc.). Combined
physical and intellectual activities (Music, debate,
dancing, can be developed in blind children. activities like
Slow exercises,
pace should be the criteria
teaching the blind children in an integrated for
setting.
pense atromuno betnom
LUse ofequipments
Technology has come up in niisrilidomlo 29moluo rsm
big way to help the blind and
a
shudents. Raised numeral watches, partially sighted
calculators, that aurally announce
and results of computation, low vision aids magnifiers, electronic data entries
which run on the printed page and the
image is enlarged and magnifiers
monitor in the small video camera, portable telescope. projected on to a
or
6Oger 1o ano oeognt
Laser Cane msldeg noielv 5 dasggue obiotss ltise
This
nlesilbpehb
long cane sends out three light beams that warn of the
objects straight
ahead, objects at head level, and changes in walking elevations. When the beam's
path is broken by an object, sounds are emitted and the individual avoids
obstacles.
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Jgriob aldaizolno
 Sonic Glasses glasses
send
out
u l t r a s o n i c

hit objects
aund
soun.

wav
s, howeve
these w a v e s

sound
glasses
Worn like like typical
eye Once
these
the
blind
individual.
as echos
by th
by
anyone.
be
heard
how
far or near
he objst
they are
are changed
heard can
e that
is
d e t e r m i n e

simislial r
sounds
to guide
ed into echoes Sonic
hear characteristics.

to
ndividual
its relativ al is
is
trained

some ofits over

the
head.

elati direction
and
like a
hat

Principle as
Sonic sonic 8glasses
but is
worn

able to deliver
It is able to dol
Kurzweil Reading Machine into
aural
English.

It translate material
d uora
printed
text
eech rate.
spee
speech messages
tes
at the
normal
human

Optacon
This held in
the hand
which
translate:

e
advantage
ter by let
is any
is a small machi
machine
The major
ha Pe
having to
stimuli.
images from the anner into tactile
impaired
student
without

printed matte: can be read by read

the visually
first ranslato into
De
used to
translated Braille (Barraga, 1983). translator translator
be used
can be
can top
to aa
Micro Computer and computer Braille
students.
antage by the visually impaired
Orientation and Mobility
should
The visually impaired have to develop orientation and mobility
sthesis,
skile.
to bility skils.
should be based on sense of hearing, touch, smell, taste,
Kinaesthesis,

developed by using different techniques

such a s :

techniques; long
cane techni
niques; sate
Guide dogs: sighted guide
laser cane, yields heam light, infra
of ight, infra
techniques;electronic aids for mobility,
nic guide,
ght to detect objects and a pair of glasses known as sonic guide, whid
which
mounted on ultrasonic sensors. Safety, security and gracefulness
ess are
are the th
the
main outcomes of
mobility
A teacher with training
keen observational skills may notice the discrepancy in
Pupil's ability to perform distance vision tasks such as copying from
chalkboard and near point vision tasks such as reading
The visually handicapped children may not experience the same degree
independence in moving about as pupils with normal sight. Orientate
difficulties can impose one of the greatest limitations to mobility. Su
difficulties in spatial activities suggest a vision problem.
Some of the specific procedures which are to be used to help the visul
handicapped child to master the schoolenvironment are:brod te
the pupil in walking around the classroom until he is comfort
1 Guide
doing it.
2. Have the walk around the classroom by himself until hei
pupil
comfortable doing it.
 y HandicapPeu Children

ldr. Visually

the
3. Repeat the same 127
procedure guiding the
of
outfor other areas of the school. pupil while
ave ntrate on movement in
Concentrate

one area at time.

explaining the lay
Be
rehearse.
sure to a

Give specific erbal descriptions.

6 I's name when
Use the pupil':
you are looking at him. speaking to him as he
may not know that
8.
Jse a
buddy as a
guide when the child
Familiarise the pupil" with goes out.
9 any changes that are made in the
DailyLiving Skills
school.
ly lls include eating,
These skills

Theh tailoring,
king ba washingclothese, handling dressing, body hygiene-cleanliness,
a e s , using teleph
telephones, shaving, food money, shopping, using electrical
nces,
applian
usingmedicines,
preparatiorn, clearing place, and a
using daily living skill training programme can take into account
considerations
the followingg
consiie an idea of the daily living skills to the
iagnose his difficulties in visually impaired.
mastering them.
Provide pre-requisites in terms of training.
Grade the skills.
Use aids in teaching skills.
See that the gain is sustained.
ofiivitoe woieollot
Social Skills
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uorle
Occasionally visually handicapped children display deficiency in social
Lills, This is due to lack of experience and over
protection. They should be
rewarded
re verbally tor any positive social gesture. Seer acceptance should be
encouraged. Verbal cues can be provided to partially sighted or low vision
children. Allow them to speak to the class. They have to develop self confidence.

Sensory Training
Use of multisensory materials have added advantage for the visually
handicapped pupils. Commercial kits and language masters are also available.
Television also provides a source of multi-sensotry learning. Computers has also
come to the service of the disabled. In teachirng visually handicapped cildren
one must remember that each child is unique.
Each has strenghts and
him to
weaknesses. His handicap should therefore, not interfere with teaching
grow up.
visual efficiency of low
A teacher should practice the following to develop
and partially sighted children:
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 Educut
128
c o n d i t i o n s ;
ourage chi.
encouragechildren Res

l1. Expose
Expose the ch
POse
to see,
children

what
to
various

they see,
lighting

increase
vocabulary.

provide
coloured
hts, and presen
lights, and the
discus. time to
observe,
2. Give them
2.
them enough qe vi
e
attractive toys for
identification.

child to
trace
them.

3. Draw pict figures and

ask the
teach
gradation ze, teacher
in size, teal
PIctures/ objects, lool 970 uo
4.
4. Die
Discriminí three
dimensional

inate concepts. ase durati.

durati
and intensity and decrease
of colours
5 n es complexity, odt 92m6tlims
Use
ash
flash cards, increase memory,
esaGoyrs
rhty li tea

16r them to thro

order, hand, teach ap
pecify forms free
6. draw
raw form in dotted lines,
vocabulary,
ae 7. and catch ball, and reinforce
omission of parts and
present objects
in ascending,
lialg aideswedsd Rn
descendin.
so a
sr 8. order. 8tggoe eprioricoloj grtieesom
px
bool gnivsr
8. Teach form constancy. esnuoibe m
9. Teach figure and ground
discrimination.

clay modeling, foldin ding

10. Teach visua coordination paper shapes,
motor ano sblen
Paper, bead-stringing, tracing, wiring ropes.
ence and
sighted children develop competence and
These
nese measu
measures help the partially 201 Luoitib
BiT o20n
2s
they gain much from schooling to Bru79 mestelUp
 e arops at
Tdentiiication drops at
ate des, clinical
Besides,
assessmement? There are
assessment, how can a
certain tips tor teacher undertake
which parents, teachers
can teachers. There functional
the child rubs the observe. In such cases are certain
tell-tale signs
eyes excessively,
.haswatery eyes,
reddened eyelids,
.
covers one
eye and tilts the head
Ane holds objects and books close to forward,
.asks other children for his eyes,
help while taking notes
blinks more frequently, from the
squints, blackboards,
nb
ene
.
complains about headache following classroom
.bumps into objects or people, eye work,
.moves head forward and
backward while
en .frowns or looses his looking at distant objects,
ke has poor
place while reading or
writing,
eng
eye-hand coordination,
places head close to reading material.

Snellen Chart -
hen Clinical assessment is done by using
the Snellen Chart. The Snellen Chart is a
Su measuring device used to determine an individual's central
distance visual
Me acuity. The chart contains eight rows of letters of the alphabet in graduated sizes.
There is one version for young children and for who cannot read. That
people
replaces the alphabet with the letter E in different orientatiorns and sizes. The
e letter sizes on the chart correspond to the estimate of the ability of a typical
O person to read the materials. The chart is constructed so that at a distance of 20
feet a person reading the figures on the chart corresponding to what a normal

d eye sees at 20 ft. is said to have 20'/2-' vision. A person with 20'/20' vision and
 2
be normaly sighto
coordinated fashion is considered to ed
in
at 70 ft. or 200 fit. th
a
both eyes working
ft. what a normal person sees
at 20
when a person sees
Individuals who have
low vision or w
has 20'/7O' 20/200' vision.
person or
blind (visual acuity
of 20/200 or less),
are
visually limited may be legally
between 20'/70' and 20'/200).
partially sighted (visual acuity used as a screening device for detectingeu
The Snellen chart is widely eye
problems because of the and speed with which
ease
tered,
it c a n be administer its
Snellen chart gives
and its wide of applicability. The no
O Cost, range
ability, fusion
indication of near-point or eripheral vision, convergence ability
or muscular imbalance.

Densbbe

LE 10
jdo ablo

onffd

IM E 70

orf esvo
enwro

m E
LE M 40

ivpb gti

E E
m E 3 m 20

Em aE

Figure 5: Snellen Chart