L6: Visual and Hearing Impairments

1. Legally Blind

2. Low Vision (Partially Sighted)

Classification of visual impairment

Legally Blind

Has visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye even with correction. Can still see some.

Low vision (partially sighted)

Visual acuity falling between 20/70 and 20/200 in the better eye with correction.

1. Braille

2. Use of Remaining Sight

3. Orientation and Mobility Training

4. Technological Aids

Educational Considerations for Indiv with visual impairments

Braille

Communicating, reading, and writing through the use of dots.

1. Literary Braille

2. Nemeth Code

3. Unified English Braille

4. Perkins Brailler

5. Slate and Stylus

Kinds of Braille

Literary Braille

Braille used for most everyday situations

Nemeth Code

Braille for mathematical and scientific symbols

Unified English Braille

Braille that combines these several codes into one (Letters and Numbers)

Perkins Brailler

Has six keys, one for each of the six dots of the cell, when pressed simultaneously, the keys leave an embossed print on the paper.

Slate and Stylus

The stylus is pressed through the opening of the slate, which holds the paper between its two halve

1. Large print books

2. Magnifying Devices

Use of remaining sight

Large print books

Type sizes for readers with visual impairment may range up to 30-point type

Magnifying Devices

Handheld magnifiers, monocular telescopes, or binocular telescopes that sit on eyeglass-type frames

1. Long cane

2. Guide dogs

3. Tactile maps

4. Human Guides

Orientation and Mobility Training for Visual Impairments

Long cane

Much longer than the canes typically used for support or balance

Guide dogs

Dogs need to undergo extensive training

Tactile maps

Emboss representations of the environment

Human Guides

Enable people with visual impairment to have the greatest freedom in moving about safely

1. Kruzweil 1000

2. Braille notetakers

3. Screen readers

4. Global Positioning System (GPS)

Technological aids for Visual Impairments

Kurzweil 1000

User places the materials on a scanner that reads the material with an electronic voice or renders it in braille

Braille notetakers

User enters information with a braille keyboard and can transfer the information into a larger computer

Screen Readers

Can magnify information on the screen, convert on-screen text to speech, or do both.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Technological aid for orientation and mobility

Hearing Impairment

Broad term that covers individuals with impairments ranging from mild to profound.

1. Deaf

2. Hard of hearing

3. Congenitally Deaf

4. Adventitiously Deaf

5. Prelingual Deafness

6. Postlingual Deafness

Types/Classification of hearing impairments

Deaf

Precludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid.

Hard of hearing

With the use of a hearing aid, has residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic information through audition

Congenitally Deaf

Born deaf

Adventitiously deaf

Acquire deafness at some time after birth

Prelingual deafness

Deafness that occurs speech and language develop (mute and deaf)

Postlingual Deafness

Occurs after the development of speech and language (meron pero bigla nawala)

• Oral approaches

• Total communication/simultaneous communication

• Technological advances

• Testing accommodations

Educational considerations for hearing impairments

• Auditory-verbal approach

• Auditory-oral approach

Kinds of Oral Approaches

Auditory-verbal Approach

Using audition to improve speech and language development. Hearing aids and cochlear implants, speech training

Auditory-oral Approach

Use of visual cues, speechreading (lip reading), cued speech - uses handshapes to represent specific sounds while speaking

• Signing English Systems

• Fingerspelling

Kinds of Total/Simultaneous Communication

Signing English Systems

Devised for teaching people who are deaf to communicate

Fingerspelling

Representation of letters of the English alphabet by finger position

• Hearing Aids

• Television, Video, and Movie Captioning

• Text telephones (TT)

• Computer-Assisted Instruction (Read Aloud)

Kinds of Technological Advances

• Sign interpretation for directions and for test questions

• Extended time

• Small group or individual administration

Testing Accommodations for Hearing Impairment