 
Blind Musician on the Beach
- Lyonel Feininger,
1933
In order to participate fully within the educational environment, students who
are blind or visually
impaired require instruction in disability-specific skills. These
disability-specific skills are known
as the expanded core curriculum when they are incorporated into program
planning.
Compensatory or Functional Academic Skills
These are skills needed to access the regular curriculum presented in the
regular classroom
(i.e., compensatory skills), skills needed by students with multiple
disabilities to enhance their
ability to participate in home (i.e., functional skills), school and community,
and an array of
communication skills. “Communication needs of students with visual impairments
will vary
depending on the degree of functional vision, the effects of additional
disabilities and the task to
be done. Students may communicate through braille, large print, print with the
use of optical
aids, regular print, tactile books, a calendar system, sign language, recorded
materials or
combinations of these means.” (Hatlen, 1996) Examples of other compensatory or
functional
academic skill areas might include concept development, spatial awareness,
keyboarding skills,
listening skills, organizational skills, use of the abacus, or tactile
discrimination skills. The
acquisition of everyday concepts and practical knowledge usually acquired
through incidental
learning by students who are sighted requires specific instruction for students
who are blind or
visually impaired to ensure they are building their knowledge base on accurate
information.
Orientation and Mobility
This is an area of instruction focusing on students’ ability to know where they
are in relation to
their environment and to travel safely, efficiently, purposefully and
independently throughout this
environment. Good orientation and mobility skills are highly correlated with the
degree of
independence achieved by students later in life. Developing body awareness,
directionality,
spatial awareness and practical knowledge associated with the characteristics of
a given
environment increases the probability that students will be actively involved in
age-appropriate
activities with peers. Problem-solving strategies essential to travel in both
familiar and
unfamiliar environments, urban and rural areas and in various kinds of weather
are essential to
the development of independence and self-esteem. Students who have low vision
need to learn
to interpret both visual and auditory information, and may require optical
devices to access
information. The use of a white cane is essential for some students who cannot
rely upon the
accuracy of the visual information they receive or for those who are blind.
Students who are
blind or visually impaired with additional disabilities need to have orientation
and mobility
instruction that addresses the specific needs of their daily routines.
Orientation and mobility is
taught by professionals who have completed certified programs in this very
specialized area.
Social Interaction Skills
These skills are essential if students are to develop friendships with their
classmates and
participate in activities typically associated with school-age students, whether
educational or
extracurricular. Having effective interpersonal communication skills is also
highly correlated
with employability in adults. For students who are sighted, social skills are
primarily learned
incidentally through interaction with family members and peers. Most of this
learning occurs
through observation, imitation and incidental experiences that are part of
everyday routines. For students who are blind or visually impaired, this
information must be provided through
timely, insightful, and sequential instruction. Information associated with
non-verbal
communication (e.g., gestures, body language, facial expressions) or cultural
practices (e.g.,
how close to stand to the person with whom you are speaking) must be made
available to
students who are blind or visually impaired. Furthermore, peers of students who
are blind or
visually impaired require specific instruction to increase their awareness of
the implications of
vision loss on social interaction if they are to become both comfortable in
their interactions with
their classmate who is blind or visually impaired and knowledgeable about how to
include this
student.
Independent Living Skills and Personal Management Skills
These skills are highly correlated with the achievement of lifelong goals for
students who are
blind or visually impaired. “This area encompasses all the tasks and functions
people perform,
according to their abilities, in order to live as independently as possible.”
(Hatlen, 1996)
Curriculum designed to address the development of independent living skills
includes instruction
in such areas as personal hygiene, food preparation, money and time management,
home
management, and organization of personal belongings and space to accommodate the
lack of
visual input. While similar skills may be taught within the public school
curriculum, they do not
provide sufficient opportunity for the meaningful and frequent practice required
for students who
are blind or visually impaired. The content of the regular curriculum is often
based on the
assumption of the presence of a basic level of knowledge acquired incidentally
through vision.
As with the skills of social interaction, students who are blind or visually
impaired cannot learn
these skills without direct, sequential instruction by knowledgeable people.
Recreation and Leisure Skills
These skills and experiences provide the same benefits for students who are
blind or visually
impaired as they do for their peers who are sighted (e.g., healthy lifestyle,
fitness, shared peer
interests). However, without modifications and/or specific instruction to master
prerequisite
skills, students who are blind or visually impaired are frequently excluded from
such activities.
Many of the motor skills learned during the rough and tumble play of childhood
activities do not
develop naturally in students who are blind or visually impaired. As well, if
initial exposure to
specific activities is cumbersome or their level of participation or success
below that of their
peers, students who are blind or visually impaired may become easily
discouraged. The
provision of specific, timely instruction and opportunities to practice newly
acquired skills will
ensure students derive pleasure from participation in an array of recreational
and leisure
activities.
Career and Life Management Skills
These skills provide students with information about the world of work, career
options, and an
overview of the skills necessary to be successfully employed. For students who
are blind or
visually impaired, there are many additional program components which need to be
addressed
(e.g., accommodations required to complete specific jobs, access to appropriate
assistive
technology, self-advocacy skills, and those to deal effectively with negative
attitudes toward
individuals with disabilities). Frequently, students who are blind or visually
impaired are
unaware of the array of career options because they do not see the variety of
workers in their
environment or because adults around them are uninformed. Employment statistics
from both
Canada and the United States show that individuals who are blind or visually
impaired are both
underemployed and have unacceptably high rates of unemployment. Without specific
and
timely intervention to address career development issues, students who are blind
or visually
impaired encounter significant barriers to successful employment.
Assistive Technology
This technology enables students to access information, participate in
age-appropriate activities,
or complete a task independently or with minimal assistance. The term “assistive
technology”
refers to a broad range of devices, such as video magnifiers (i.e., closed
circuit televisions), low
vision devices, computers with Braille input/output, Braille embossers, software
used to vary
print size, large screen monitors, talking calculators, etc. Instruction in the
use of assistive
technology begins in the preschool years and evolves as the needs of students
change.
Mastery of assistive technology contributes to the development of literacy and
academic
success, social interaction among peers, independence and the potential of
future employment.
Visual Efficiency Skills
These skills are used to accurately interpret visual information and complete
visual tasks as
efficiently and effectively as possible. Students’ ability to interpret visual
information is affected
by many variables (e.g., the type and severity of vision loss, cognitive
ability, experiential
knowledge and environmental factors, such as lighting). However, with
comprehensive,
systematic training and practice, most students can learn to use their remaining
vision more
effectively and efficiently. Visual efficiency training may include blur
interpretation, scanning
and location skills, strategies to improve visual efficiency (e.g., use of
appropriate lighting or
wearing tinted lenses to reduce glare), and strategies which enhance a given
student’s access
to visual information. Students learn about their particular eye condition, its
implications on
access to visual information, and how to explain their visual needs to others.
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in Essential Components of Educational Programming for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
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