Children with hearing and visual impairment: unlock 10 ways to foster learning

CHILDREN WITH VISUALLY DEFECTS

Such children are definitely physically handicapped, but in intellectual level, mental level and physical structure they are like normal children.

The word “visual impairment” is used in two senses:

1. Legal meaning:

Based on the acuity of vision. If the visual acuity is 20/20, which means if a child can see all the objects from a distance of 20 feet that a normal child can see, then the child is free from visual defects.

But if the visual acuity is 20/200, that is, if a child can see an object which a normal child can see from a distance of 200 feet, from a maximum distance of 20 feet, then that child is considered legally blind, although he is not completely blind.

2. Educational meaning:

In this sense, the meaning of visual impairment is to what extent visual impairment is affecting the learning ability of students/children.

The more affected the learning ability, the more severe the vision impairment is considered to be.

Types of Visual Impairment

Blind Child (Blind Children)

Child with Low Vision (Low Vision Children)

(a) Blind Children:-

Blind children are those who are completely blind and can be taught only through the Braille method. Education and adjustment of such children is an important and serious subject in itself.

For social adjustment (to be able to go anywhere), the teacher gives them training in cane travel. Measures to increase adjustment speed: –

(i) Braille Method: –

In this method (developed in 1830 by Louis Braille, who himself was a blind person), reading and writing are taught with the help of 6 raised dots. Students write Braille letters with the help of a Braille stylus.

(ii) Electrical Device: –

Teaching is done with the help of an electric pencil. In this, the child understands letters and words based on the special sound produced by rotating the pencil on the letters of the Braille book.

(iii) Special Curriculum:-

Apart from general material, their curriculum should include making cane chairs, pottery, and music. Blind children are found to have more musical acumen.

(iv) Special Residential School:-

Necessary for teaching conditions and their adjustments.

(b) Low Vision Children:-

The education of such children is quite challenging because they are neither completely blind nor normal.

(i) Low Vision Aids:-

1. Glasses (contact lenses)

2. Telescopes

3. Magnifiers

(ii) Classroom Adaptations:-

The top of the desk should be sliding.

Proper lighting (a special lamp for each student)

Paper and books should not be too shiny.

(iii) Practice of Repeating by Listening:

Repeating by normal children or by a tape recorder.

(iv) Special Learning Material:

The letters of the book should be large. It is easier to teach writing with a black pen on light yellow paper. Pens and pencils should also be relatively thick so they can be easily adapted.

B. Child Suffering from Hearing Impairment

About 30 students in the school suffer from hearing impairment.

These are of two types:

complete deafness

partial deafness.

(a) Complete Deafness:

Completely deaf children are those who do not hear anything, even after using a special amplifier. Such children do not hear anything,  it is not possible to teach them by speaking.

Psychologists and educationists have taught them by the following methods:

The arrangement has been made for:

(i) Importance to motor work:

Woodwork, sewing, pottery making, but give more emphasis on studies.

(ii) Demonstration method by the teacher:

Teaching with the help of the demonstration method, i.e., non-verbal communication.

(iii) By the provision of Residential Schools:

Teaching by small classes and program instruction method.

(iv) Electric Devices:

Some scientists have tried to arrange education through this method.

(b) Partially Deaf Children

Their education is much simpler than that of totally deaf children.

(i) Technological Aids:

Teaching is done with the help of earphones, etc. Birch found in 1975 that with the use of auditory aids, the child learns like a normal child.

(ii) Special Classroom:

There should be silence in the room, and the teacher’s voice should be heard clearly.

(iii) Total Communication Approach:

Lecture, along with this, the teacher should make more use of sign language, finger spelling, and gestures.

(iv) Social Reinforcement:

Encouragement by peers, teachers, and society on the child’s work increases the intensity of adjustment.