LEARNERS WITH DIFFICULTY IN SEEING

Definition:

Visual Impairment vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational
performance(idea). A visual Impairment is any visual condition that impacts an individual’s ability to
successfully complete the activities of everyday life. Students with visual impairments are infants,
toddlers, children and youths who experience impairments of the visual system that impact their ability
to learn.

Identification:

Learners with difficulty seeing often have physical signs, such as crossed eyes, squinting, and eyes that
turns outwards. They may also be clumsy, usually bumping, into objects which cause them to fall down.
They like to sit near the instructional materials or at times would stand up and go near the visual aids.

Identification of Learners with Visual Impairment

•Not looking at others in the eyes

•Reaching in front of or beyond an object

•Holding objects very close or very far to see them

•Turning or tilting his head when he uses his eyes

•Continuously pushing or poking his eyes

•Looking above, below or off to one side of an object, rather than directly at it Bumping into objects and
having a lot or trouble seeing at night

•Feeling for objects on the ground instead of looking with her eyes

CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT.

Characteristics of children with visual impairment are usually defined by degree of Visual impairment,
age onset, cognitive development, language development, motor And mobility development social and
emotional development (Beatrice and Janet 2003). However,, there are educational characteristics of
persons with visual Impairment. These characteristics depend on the extent of visual efficiency of an
Individual learner. Learners with visual impairments demonstrate the following Characteristics;

 Intellectual abilities are similar to those of sighted peers

 They are unable to use sight to assist them in the development of concepts
 Their concepts development depends on their tactile experience

 They are unable to use visual imagery

 They may display repetitive, stereotyped movement for example, rocking or Rubbing of eyes.

 They are withdrawn, dependent and are unable to use non-verbal cues

 They have difficulty using spatial information and visual imagery and Imagery problems with functional
implications

 They have unusual facial behaviours such as a squinting, blinking or Frowning while reading or doing
close work.

 They are unable to locate or pick up small objects

 Physical indicators may include red eyes, swollen eyelids watery eyes or Discharge eyes that do not
appear straight, uneven seized eyes, eyes with Drooping eyelids and crusts on lids between the eye
lashes.

 They may have poor eye-hand coordination

Learners adaptations

Although each situation is different and the student is the best source of information regarding useful
accommodations, the following accommodations are typical for a student with blindness:

•Audiotaped, Brailled, or electronically formatted lecture notes, handouts, and texts

•Verbal descriptions of visual aids

•Raised-line drawings and tactile models of graphic materials

•Braille lab signs and equipment labels; auditory lab warning signals

•Adaptive lab equipment (e.g., talking thermometers and calculators, light probes, and tactile timers)
•Computer with optical character reader, voice output, Braille screen display and printer output