1. Visual Impairments Jason Christian TLSE 457 "...to ensure the rights of all blind and visually impaired infants, children, and youth, professionals must do more than react to crises; the must become proactive." "The unique needs of blind and visually impaired students must be understood by all service providers--including regular education teachers, administrators, and legislators." Billie Miles Special Education Director San Antonio ISD, San Antonio, Texas

2. Defining Visual Impairments Visual impairment is the consequence of a functional loss of vision, rather than the eye disorder itself. Eye disorders which can lead to visual impairments can include retinal degeneration, albinism, cataracts, glaucoma, muscular problems that result in visual disturbances,corneal disorders, diabetic retinopathy, congenital disorders, and infection.

3. Types of Visual Impairments Refractive Disorders: The way the eye focuses light is impaired, as in myopia (near sightedness), hyperopia (far sightedness), and astigmatism (blurred vision). Muscle Disorders: The ability to control eye movements is impaired, as in strabismus (crossed eyes). Receptive Disorders: The ability to receive and process signals from light is impaired, as in retinal detachment caused by glaucoma or a blow to the eye.

4. Causes of Visual Impairments  Among children under 5 years of age, prenatal cataract is the leading cause of legal blindness, accounting for 16% of all cases. This is followed by optic nerve atrophy (12% of all cases) and retinopathy of prematurity (9% of all cases) (National Society to Prevent Blindness, 1980).  Blindness occurs mainly among children with birth weights below 1,000 grams (2 lbs, 3 oz) at rates of 5% to 6% (Hack, Klein, & Taylor, 1995).  Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness among premature infants in developed, and rapidly developing, countries (World Health Organization, 1997a).

5. Prevalence Rate Based on data from the 1996 National Health Interview Survey less than 1% (0.6%) of persons under the age of 18 are visually impaired, defined as blindness in one or both eyes, or any other trouble seeing even when wearing glasses, representing 448,000 children and youths

6. Assessment/Diagnosis of Visual Impairments List of tests that were administered and the results of those tests Conditions under which the tests were conducted Patient's subjective responses to the testing History of the patient's symptoms Diagnostic conclusions The proper documentation of a visual impairment requires a diagnosis of the condition by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

7. Characteris tics  The effect of visual problems on a child's development depends on the severity, type of loss, age at which the condition appears, and overall functioning level of the child. Many children who have multiple disabilities may also have visual impairments resulting in motor, cognitive, and/or social developmental delays.  A young child with visual impairments has little reason to explore interesting objects in the environment and, thus, may miss opportunities to have experiences and to learn. This lack of exploration may continue until learning becomes motivating or until intervention begins.  Because the child cannot see parents or peers, he or she may be unable to imitate social behavior or understand nonverbal cues. Visual handicaps can create obstacles to a growing child's independence.

8. Instructional Ideas Note takers or copies of lecture notes Audiotape class sessions Clear verbal descriptions of visual aids, graphics, and writing on chalkboards or dry-erase boards. http://www.nhbvi.com/Agenda/G oal1/Book1/considerationschar t.html Screen magnification software. Laptop computers for writing in class. **Students who have visual impairments combined with other types of disabilities have a greater need for an interdisciplinary approach and may require greater emphasis on self care and daily living skills.

9. Technology For Students with Visual Impairments Screen readers Screen magnifiers Braille embossers http://www.viguide. com/techcat.htm http://www.viguide. com/techcat.htm

10. 12 Signs of Vision Loss  Over cautious driving habits.  Find lighting either: too bright or too dim.  Frequent eye glass prescription changes.  Holding books or reading material close to face or at arm's length.  Squinting or tilting the head to see.  Difficulty in recognizing people.  Change in personal appearance.  Changes in table etiquette.  Changes in leisure time activities.  Moving about cautiously.  Bumping into objects.  Acting confused or disoriented.

11. Interesting Facts  Of children who incur diabetes 80% will have diabetic retinopathy after 15 years of age.  Fifty thousand people lose sight every year.  90% of eye accidents can be avoided by using proper eye wear and adhering to eye safety guidelines.  Fire works attribute to 8,800 children losing sight in some form.

12. Famous People that wear Glasses Morgan Freeman Tupac Shakur Jason Alexander Sylvestor Stallone Hugh Grant Sigourney Weaver Sam Newman Red Simons Elton John Julian Lennon Mary Pierce Kurt Russell

13. Resources Friend, M. Bursuck, W.D. (2002). Including students with special needs:A practical guide for classroom teachers. Boston:Allyn & Bacon. www.preventblindness.org/children www.uky.edu/~kmkram1 www.afb.org/htm

14. Resources for Educators Websites: http://www.nhbvi.com/Agenda/Goal1/Book1/stimulate.html http://www.gate.net/~labooks/VI.html#VIabout http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/3023.html Books Chen, D. (2001). Visual impairment in young children: A Review of the literature with implications for working with families of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Tech. Rep. No. 7). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services. Retrieved April 29, 2002 from http://clas.uiuc.edu/techreport/tech7.html#c2 Hatton, D. D., & Model Registry of Early Childhood Visual Impairment Collaborative Group. (2001). Model Registry of Early Childhood Visual Impairment: First year results. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 95(7), 418-433. McWilliam, R.A., & Scott, S. (2001). A support approach to early intervention: A three-part framework. Infants & Young Children, 13(4), 55-66. McWilliam, R. A., Tocci, L., & Harbin, G. L. (1998). Family-centered services: Service providers' discourse and behavior. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 18, 206-221.