Rebecca Sherod

SPE 222, Wednesday

Identify: Visual impairment of a kindergarten student

Characteristics:
o Clumsiness could be an indicator that a child might have a visual impairment.
Misjudging distances and running into things constantly might be because the
child cannot actually see very well.
o Poor hand-eye coordination is another characteristic that a student with a visual
impairment would display. Things like playing sports or reading things further
away would be much more difficult.
o Blinking and squinting frequently might indicate a visual impairment.
o A visual impairment could make it hard for a young student to learn things
naturally from their environment, for example what certain objects are, a ball,
pen, or chair, as well as things that are not physical objects, such as directions, up,
down, left, right.
o Visual assistive software, auditory software and devices, and braille access
devices are tools that could be used to help a child with visual impairments.
Academic Context:
o With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a
text. (K.RL.1)
o K.CC.B.5. Count to answer how many? questions about as many as 20 things
arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a
scattered configuration; given a number from 120, count out that many objects.
o Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose
informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and
supply some information about the topic. (K.W.2)
o Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs;
wish, wishes).
Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what,
where, when, why, how).
Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on,
off, for, of, by, with).
Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
(K.L.1)

Universal Design:

o Representation of content: Having someone or something read aloud text to the

student, making sure the student understands what is being asked of them and
helping identify all parts of the questions and necessary information to answer.
o Expression of learning: talking instead of writing or drawing, having questions
read aloud to them and answering orally
o Engagement of apprenticeship: reading about or changing a topic so that it
interests them, changing parts of a problem so that it is more relatable.
Collaboration:
o resources special education: making sure that the student is always equipped with
the information, resources and tools that they need to understand the material, as
well as making sure there is someone available who can help them
o grade level: making sure that the student is keeping up with the grade level
standards and working individually with them or having them work with someone
else who can help them if they are not.
o student social: especially with visual impairment, the social interaction of the
student may suffer. It is important to make sure they can and do interact with the
students around them and get involved in activities
o family: making sure the family is involved in their education process and is
always informed about how they are doing and what they are doing.
o community resources : making sure that certain aspects of learning, such as
orientation and mobility, are being addressed and are helping the student.
Resources:
o http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/ This site offers general information
about being a teacher of the visually impaired, as well as lessons and activities for
students with visual impairments a teacher can use in the classroom. It is easy to
navigate, providing information on adaptations required, curriculum, and career
options for people interested.
o http://www.perkinselearning.org/scout/education-blind-visually-impaired This
website also provides general information about visual impairments, but also has
links that are more detail oriented, leading to information about specific topics
under the category of visual impairment. These include assistive technology,
independent living, orientation and mobility, and literacy and braille. Although it
offers less specific information about teaching in a classroom, it is still a helpful
and useful source.
o http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/colleges/university/disability/facultystaff/classroom-issues/vision/vision-strategy.htm This website focusses on
strategies that can be used when teaching someone with a visual impairment. It
includes tips for giving lectures and general ideas for teaching. It also has links to
federal guidelines and videos that give additional information.
Professional Development:

o The Council for Exceptional Children: events such as an online conference

regarding common core, and professional training opportunities including
technical support and workshops
o National Association of Special Education Teachers: professional development
workshops are offered, including an overview of visual impairments and criteria
for determining eligibility for special education with regards to visual
impairments.

References:
Characteristics of a Visually Impaired Child. (2013, August 16). Retrieved November
12, 2014.

Engaging the Potential. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from

http://www.cec.sped.org/Professional-Development
K-2 English Language Arts (ELA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
http://www.azed.gov/azccrs/elastandards/k-2/
NASET.org Home Page. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014.
Turnbull, A., Turnball, R., Wehmeyer, M., & Shogren, K. (n.d.). Exceptional Lives,
Special Education in Today's Schools (7th ed.). Pearson Education.