Northern School for the Blind Classroom Management: The natural environment for the Visually Impaired with Additional Disabilities for transition to their families and communities after finishing the school Siriporn Tantaopas

Northern School for the Blind 210 Visually Impaired students from 17 provinces in the Northern of Thailand 38 Visually Impaired with Additional Disabilities (multiple disabilities: physical, autism, intellectual, learning, behaviour-emotion, communication) & Deafblindness. Difficult to access the academic curriculum What we teach for VIMD & Deafblindness ? How we teach for VIMD & Deafblindness?

Beliefs & Activities of teaching Beliefs Students who are the Visually Impaired with Additional Disabilities learn best through functional real-life activities. The natural environment is one of the strategies for the students to access functional real-life activities. Activities of teaching To Live – activities for life, self- help skills, daily living skills. To Love – preference activities To Work – working for daily living and vocation To Play – activities for recreation, relaxing& meaningful playing

Natural environment The environment which is suitable to be applied in real life, including using real objects, real places, real time, appropriate with student’s age and corresponding to the daily living. This will allow students to access activities and will be used in their future. The natural environment are places in home, school, local community and etc. Enhance experiences to academic curriculum

Functional Activities Strategies Natural environments Age appropriate Clear expectations Task analysis Choice making Clear beginning, middle and end Consistent structure and Routine Partial / full participation Modeling Motivating activities Accessibility (Visual, motor, auditory adaptations

School Based Learning

Community Based Learning Half-Way House

Half-Way House

Community Based Learning at Palan Village

Community Based Learning The vocational training with families

Community Based Learning Vocation with family at home

Thank you