Visual Impairments
Team: Christina Frydrych, Leslie Pachol
Fall 2007
Normal Vision
Central Visual Field Loss
Heminanopsia
Tunnel Vision
Reduced Peripheral Acuity
Reduced Visual Acuity
Reduced Visual Fields
Central Visual Field Loss and Reduced Visual Acuity
Combined Central Visual Field Loss and Reduced Visual Acuity
No Vision
Causes of Visual Impairments
• Birth defects
• Diseases (diabetes, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa)
• Accidents (sports, car collisions)
Statistics - Blind and VI
National Institute of Health says:• VI - 3.3 million Americans aged 40+• 54% of cases caused by macular degeneration• VI – projected to affect 5.5 million Americans by 2020• 69% of blind are people ages 80+• 1/1000 school age children are VI and 10% of 1/1000 are blind
American Foundation for the Blind says:• 10 million blind and VI Americans• 55,200 legally blind children in US• 93,600 blind or VI students served by special education
(10,800 of whom are deaf-blind)• Every seven minutes, someone becomes blind or VI in the US.
Types of Assistive Technologies
• Lighting Adaptations
• Vision screenings and eyeglasses
• Personal assistants
• Image enlargers
• Auditory materials
• Tactile learning
• Additional instruction
Lighting Adaptations
Can you easily read this?
Lighting Adaptations
Increase contrast of print materials
Color highlighting of print materials
Lighting modifications in classroom
Vision Screenings
Personal Assistants
Image Enlargers
• Zoom Text
• Overhead projector
• Telesensory machine ($2,695)
• Copy machine with zoom
• Large print materials
• Jaws
• CCTV
Portable CCTV
• 3X to 18X magnification• Battery operated• Full color• 4.3” viewing area• Can take notes• Battery life = 4 to 7 hrs• Weighs 8.8 oz.
Cost - $729.95
Auditory Materials
• Voice recorder
• Kurzweil 3000 software
• Screen readers
• Audio books
• Talking products and tools
• 1932 – First talking books
Talking Products• Watch - $34.95• Spanish Calculator - $12.95• Tape Measure - $119.95• Dictionary - $114.95• Glucose Meter - $30.95• Microwave - $369.95
Talking Reading Machine
• Reads 3 pages/minute• Scans• Copies• Commands are
start and stop• Weighs < 9 lbs• Available in several languages• Cost - $2,295
Tactile Education
• Braille
• Raised maps
• Use of real objects
• Raised dot dominos - $14
• Braille ruler - $4.95
Braille Note Taker and Printer
Functions of Note Taker:• Takes notes• Word processing• E-mail• Web browser• MP3 player• Digital audio recorder• Cost - $5,495
Romeo Attaché – printer
Additional Instruction
• Daily living skills
• Career development
• Reading and writing
• Social skills
• Use of the person’s functional vision
• Use of assistive technologies
• Mentorship from adults with VI
Public Programs
• Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)• Bookshare• Blind Industries and Services of Maryland
(BISM)• National Federation of the Blind (NFB)• Maryland School for the Blind• Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped
Issues
High unemployment rate
High cost of assistive technologies
Silent hybrid cars
Teaching Braille in public schools
Other Issues??
Group Exercises
1. Read Braille.
2. Listen, take notes, take quiz.
3. Listen, don’t take notes and answer math word problems.
4. Walk upstairs to the snack machine and purchase M&Ms and pretzels.
Educational Strategies
• Audio materials• Tape record lectures
• Large print materials• Tactile teaching
• Adjust classroom lighting• High contrast paper and type face
• Alternate test formats• Longer time to take exams
POP QUIZ !!
• Name two diseases that can cause blindness.• Name two ways you can prevent children’s eyes
from damage during sports.• Name three types of assistive technologies to
help children with low vision.• Name three educational strategies that you
might use in the future.
REFERENCES• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmcUsd-eZ0Q• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOmg0Lp9500• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csM8qJSo7pQ• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjnVOnr2g4Y• American Foundation for the Blind. 3 Nov. 2007 http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?sectionid=15• B.I.S.M. 19 Nov. 2007 <http://bism.org/r_youth_TEMP.cfm>• Bookshare. 19 Nov. 2007 http://www.bookshare.org/web/SupportAboutUs.html#2• Cook Library at TU• Council For Exceptional Children. 2 Nov. 2007 http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home• DORS. 19 Nov. 2007 http://www.dors.state.md.us/DORS/ProgramServices/Business3/OBVS_Programs/• Foundation Fighting Blindness. 3 Nov. 2007 http://www.blindness.org/content.asp?id=45>• The Foundation for Fighting Blindness. 3 Nov. 2007 www.blindness.org• Harbor Hospital. 8 April 2005. 2 Nov. 2007 http://http://www.harborhospital.org/11066.cfm• Learning Sight and Sound Made Easier. 19 Nov. 2007. 2 Nov 2007 http://http://www.lssproducts.com/• Librivox. 19 Nov. 2007. 11 Nov. 2007 <http://librivox.org>• Maryland Department of Disabilities. 11 Nov. 2007 www.mdtap.org• Magnisight. 3 Nov. 2007 http://www.magnisight.com/products.htm• Maryland School for the Blind. 11 Nov. 2007 http://www.mdschblind.org.html• National Braille Press, Inc. 19 Nov. 2007 <www.nbp.org• National Federation of the Blind. 29 Oct. 2007 http://www.nfb.org• National Institute of Health. 24 Oct. 2006. 13 Nov. 2007 <
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/agerelatedmaculardegeneration/agerelatedmaculardegenerationdefined/01.html• National Institute of Health Senior Health. 17 Nov. 2007
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/agerelatedmaculardegeneration• Telesensory. 11 Nov. 2007 http://www.telesensory.com/vertex/vertex.html• The University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology. 1 Jan. 2004. 19 Nov. 2007
http://depts.washington.edu/ophthweb/statistics.html• TU Disabled Student Services unit