How Teachers Can Support Visually Impaired Learners

How Teachers Can Support Visually Impaired Learners

Blindness and low vision is a major disability affecting a number of learners. Despite the challenge that comes with taking care of such learners, they need extreme care and assistance to help them overcome the challenges associated with the learning environment. According to Chapter 10, inclusive teaching could help students affected by this disability improve their learning outcomes (Heward 345). This discussion aims to analyze the challenges facing students with blindness and low vision and how they could be empowered to overcome the challenges of this disability.

Just like any other disability, blindness and low vision may occur at varied times of life. However, in most children, this disability occurs during the early stages of life. With such a challenged learner, there is a need for parents and teachers to collaborate and help them acquire survival skills. As such, these learners could be empowered to acquire skills that could help them survive in the tough learning environment. Teachers can use various communication skills to communicate effectively with visually impaired students; these include using oral interpreters, the application of captioning media, and visual aids.

Despite steps that have been developed to help the learners, there are continued misconceptions about this disability, leading to visually impaired learners being disadvantaged (Heward 349). Therefore, there is a need to create awareness about the need to embrace these children. Society should be made aware that despite their disability, learners with blindness could be helped to become important members of society. Various education placement alternatives could be made available for visually impaired learners. They include state schools for blind students, resource room programs in neighborhood schools, especially those structured to meet the learning needs of visually impaired learners, and itinerant models, where teachers and students with visual impairment disabilities travel to local schools to provide instruction.

Teachers can support visually impaired learners to help them become independent in their learning. The strategies implemented in the learning environment should ensure that, just like other learners, visually impaired learners learn comfortably without discrimination or harassment (Wall and Robert 111). Additionally, teachers should ensure that these learners are incorporated in all aspects of learning, including in the co-curriculum, to help them feel loved and valued. Additionally, in chapter 10, there are various tips teachers could use to ensure these learners learn effectively. For example, when teaching learners, teachers should use visuals to illustrate a point (Heward 350). This way, they ensure that they describe a point using images, hence ensuring these learners retain the required knowledge. The following are some of the strategies that teachers could implement to help visually impaired students.

The first strategy is incorporating visuals as teaching aids. When teaching these learners, teachers should use images or visual materials to strengthen a point, and this helps these learners retain knowledge. Second, using oral instructions is an effective strategy for supporting students with visual impairments. Oral instructions are important in the context of teaching students with visual impairments. Notably, teachers should avoid written instructions. The third strategy is incorporating available tactile learning experiences. These are physical materials that improve learners learning experiences by enabling students to interact with physical learning materials. Since these learners have visual challenges, they can interact with physical materials easily. Learning via visual impairments can easily improve learners’ knowledge retention when interacting with physical materials. Fourth, teachers should treat visually impaired learners equally. Teachers should create an inclusive environment where all learners feel loved and appreciated. When these learners feel loved and cared for, they are likelier to perform better.

Lastly, teachers can use visual aids and assistive technology. In addition, teachers should collaborate with parents to ensure visually impaired learners access the required assistive technologies to improve their learning experiences.

Work Cited

Heward, William L., and Charles L. Wood. Exceptional children: An introduction to special education. Pearson Education/Merrill/Prentice Hall, 2006.

Wall, Robert. “Teachers’ exposure to people with visual impairments and the effect on attitudes toward inclusion.” RE: view 34.3 (2002): 111

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Write a two-page paper in which you answer the following two questions: What are the Educational Placement Alternatives for students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (B&VI)?

How can you, as a teacher support the student with visual impairments in your general education setting? Remember to refer to the Weekly Assignment #10 Rubric below. Describe at least three characteristics of effective communication skills for the person with vision to employ while working with a child who is blind or who has low vision. Describes at least five ways for teachers to enable student independence.