Visual Impairments
“Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.”
Based on clinical measures of…
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Visual Acuity: clarity / sharpness of vision
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Visual Field: range in which objects can be seen centrally / peripherally
Did you know
Low-incidence disability due to infrequency
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Occurs in less 0.5% of all children w/ disabilities
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14 million people age 12+ have some sort of vision impairment, 11 million of these people have corrective lenses
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60,393 legally blind children between 0-21 (American Printing House for the Blind - Report in 2016)
More about VI
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Socially more isolated and less assertive than other children
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Experiences must be gained by using the remaining senses, especially touch and hearing
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Learn to travel safely and efficiently in the environment using a variety of orientation and mobility skills (i.e., competencies for traveling safely and efficiently through one’s environment) and tools, such as the long cane
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Even with effective mobility skills, they still have some level of detachment from the environment because vision disables immediate and direct control of the environment.
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Use a variety of alternative media and tools for reading and writing, depending on their individual needs. They may use braille or an alternative form of print.
- Industries of the Blind, Inc.
Breakdown of Common Causes of VI
--> When problems exist in the structure / functioning of the eye
--> When eye is damaged through illness / injury
--> When neurological problem prevents communication between the brain and the eye
