TEACHING STUDENTS WITH VISUAL AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS CHAPTER SIXTEEN TEACHING STUDENTS WITH VISUAL AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS

STUDENTS WITH SENSORY IMPAIRMENTS The number of students with sensory impairments is small when compared to numbers in other disability groups. In fall 2004, students with visual impairments made up 0.4% of all students receiving special education services; those with hearing impairments made up 1.2%.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) About 1 student in 1000 has a highly significant, uncorrectable visual impairment, but only about 3 out of 10 of these students are considered blind for educational purposes. The loss of vision can slow the pace of intellectual and social development because it limits access to the normal range and variety of experiences.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) Students with visual impairments may be somewhat below grade level in school because of factors such as school absences for medical reasons and the difficulty of acquiring adequate instructional materials in Braille or large print. About 8 out of every 100 children in the United States have what is termed an educationally significant hearing loss.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) Hearing losses are measure in decibels (dB) and can be categorized by severity; individuals with losses in the speech range may have a mild (20-40 dB), moderate (40-60 dB), severe (60-80 dB), or profound (80 dB or greater) hearing impairment. Amplification of unintelligible sounds may do nothing for the person with a hearing impairment except make the unintelligible sound louder.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) American Sign Language (called Ameslan or ASL) is the fourth most-used language in the United States (after English, Spanish, and Italian). It employs both fingerspelling and signs, but with its own system and rules for formation of signs, it is not merely a manual form of English.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) Speechreading (or lipreading) is a system of interpreting a speaker’s words and message without hearing the speaker’s voice. Approximately 70% of student with visual impairments and 65% of those with hearing impairments spend most of their school day in the general education classroom.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) Approximately 70% of students with visual impairments and 65% of those waiting with hearing impairments spend most of their school day in the general education classroom; graduation goals for those groups are 73.4% and 67.6% respectively.

Students with Sensory Impairments (cont’d) It is incorrect to presume that persons with sensory losses develop extraordinary perceptions with unimpaired senses. That is the “myth of sensory compensation.”

INDICATORS OF VISUAL AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS Visual and hearing impairments can be: Congenital (present at birth) or Adventitious (acquired as a result of illness or accident) Students with visual impairments may be: Blind or Partially sighted

Indicators of Visual and Hearing Impairments (cont’d) Many students who are legally blind are not considered educationally blind. Some are able to read regular print; others can read print that is enlarged typographically or viewed through a magnifying device.

Indicators of Visual and Hearing Impairments (cont’d) Students with hearing impairments may be: Deaf (not able to use their hearing to understand speech, even with a hearing aid), or Hard of hearing (have a significant hearing loss in one or both ears that requires some special adaptations; they are able to use hearing to understand speech, often through the use of hearing aids).

ASSESSMENT Assessments of students with visual and hearing impairments can be conducted by a variety of professionals: Special education teachers of students with visual or hearing impairments Ophthalmologists Audiologists

SPECIAL SERVICES The IEPs of students with visual impairments usually contain several goals: Visual aids Improvement of listening skills Development of Braille reading and writing ability Note taking Mobility Academic skill areas

Special Services (cont’d) Students with hearing impairments may have goals in: Speechreading Speech and language Auditory training Sign language Use of amplification devices

Special Services (cont’d) The majority of students with sensory impairments spend some portion of their school day included in the general education program. Many receive services from an itinerant special education teacher to supplement the activities provided in the general education class.

CLASSROOM ADAPTATIONS Students with visual or hearing impairments who are in the general education program frequently require adaptations to the arrangements of the learning environment and in the structure of instructional procedures. Example of adaptations to the regular, not special, college classroom (see next slide)

Helen Keller’s Letter (Keller, 1965, p. 151) Dear Sir, As an aid to me in determining my plans for student the coming year, I apply to you for information as to the possibility of my taking the regular courses at Radcliffe College. Since receiving my certificate of admission to Radcliffe last July, I have been studying with a private tutor, Horace, Aeschylus, French, German, Rhetoric, (cont’d)

… English history, English Literature and criticism, and English Composition. In college I should wish to continue most, if not all, of these subjects. The conditions under which I work require the presence of Miss Sullivan, who has been my teacher and companion for thirteen years, as an interpreter of oral speech and as a reader of examination papers. In college, she, or possibly in some (cont’d)

… subjects, someone else, would of necessity be with me … subjects, someone else, would of necessity be with me. In the lecture room and at recitations, I should do all my written work on a typewriter, and if a Professor could not understand my speech, I could write out my answers to his questions and hand them to him after the recitation. Is it possible for the college to accommodate itself to these unprecedented conditions (cont’d)

… so as to enable me to pursue my studies at Radcliffe … so as to enable me to pursue my studies at Radcliffe? I realize that the obstacles in the way of my receiving a college education are very great – to others they may seem insurmountable; but, dear Sir, a true soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle.

ARRANGING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Students with sensory impairments may require adaptations in the arrangement of the classroom, seating patterns, and other factors related to lighting, sound transmission, and proximity to activities. *See course textbook (pages 304-306) for suggestions for general education teachers working with students with visual and hearing impairments.

MODIFYING INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES When students with visual or hearing impairments are present in the general education classroom, it may be necessary for the teacher to modify instructional procedures. These adaptations depend on the individual needs and capabilities of the student with special needs and vary from minimal to extensive. (cont’d)

Modifying Instructional Procedures (cont’d) Specialists are generally available to assist the teacher in developing and implementing modified instructional strategies. *See course textbook (pages 306-312) for suggestions for general education teachers working with students with visual and hearing impairments in a general education setting.

THINGS TO REMEMBER Students with visual or hearing impairments commonly require modification of the learning environment and adaptation of instructional procedures to facilitate their performance in the general education classroom.  Students with severe visual and hearing impairments are typically identified before they enter school. Milder impairments may be identified as a result of school screening programs or teacher observation and referral.

THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Sensory impairments may be congenital, or they may occur as a result of illness or accident. Legal definitions of visual impairment have little educational relevance. Educators need to know whether students can use their remaining vision to learn or whether they must rely on other senses. An educator needs to know the effects of a hearing loss on a student’s ability to use and understand speech. Speech and language are the most significant areas in which hearing impairments affect students educationally.  

THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Students with visual or hearing impairments can learn to use other senses to compensate for their disabilities. Individuals who are blind can develop tactile reading skills and improve their listening skills; persons with hearing impairments can learn to speechread and to communicate manually. Students with visual impairments may also need orientation and mobility training to facilitate independent travel in the school and community.

THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Many technological developments have improved the opportunities for students with sensory impairments to communicate with others; examples include FM classroom amplification systems for students with hearing impairments and Braille notetakers that provide speech or tactile output for students who are blind. Special educators are generally available to assist general education teachers in making classroom adaptations and obtaining appropriate materials …

THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) … for students with sensory impairments who are included in the general education classroom.