How People with Visual Disability Would Learn Best
Authored by: Bernard C Mugo
The term disability which is commonly used synonymously with impairment has been defined in
various ways by different scholars (Taylor (2002). However, in this paper the term disability is
perceived as functional confines experienced by a person due to impairment. Impairment on the
other hand refers to a missing or a malfunctioning organ of the body (Finnegan, 1995). Visual
disability in this sense would refer to any extent of vision loss that has an impact on the
individual's ability to conduct visual tasks.
Learners with visual disability just as their sighted pears have their strengths and challenges
when it comes to learning. Perhaps it would be good to commence by identifying some of their
strengths which are proven through research. First, Joyce (2002) in her research compared
perceptual motor functioning between the sighted person and blind person and found out that
sighted persons had better motor abilities, while persons with blindness were more skilled at
haptic identification of shape and texture. Further, McConachie, & Moore, (1994) observed that
blind persons has better verbal and auditory memory compared to the sighted peers. Moreover,
research has shown that there is no significant difference in terms of language acquisition and
usage between the blind youth and adults and their sighted peers. More important is that Wong,
Gnanakumaran & Goldreich, 2011, Fachini & Aglioti, 2003) found out that apart from loss of
sight, blind individuals have superior sensory abilities compared to their peer sighted. These
strengths among others show that given the opportunity and support a learner who is blind is
capable of pursuing education just like their sighted counterparts. Before we explore on how best
the opportunity and support can be provided let us find out the challenges of these learners
The range and the type of visual loss, the cause of the visual loss and the onset of blindness have
impact on the acquisition of new dispositions by these learners. Let us elaborate this. The range
or degree of vision taken to mean the distance at which a person is able to clearly and accurately
see things will ultimately affect the use of sight to learn. Some activities in learning for example
the observation of molecules through microscopes et cetera will require that one has a
considerable sight. Mastery of spatial concepts and even colors will also require some sight. For
this matter, in education, the learners with visual disabilities are in two major categories: (i) the
blind or functionally blind that is those learners who uses the tactile and the auditory most
effectively for learning as opposed to the use of vision and (ii) the low vision which means that
an individual has significant loss of sight that cannot be fully corrected by use of glasses, surgery
or even contact lenses (IRIS, 2011).
The type of lose of sight will also mater when it comes to teaching and learning. For example,
reduced visual acuity which means clarity of vision at a given distance to read will determine the
type of print the learners is able to read and the overall learning of details in class and in the
environment. This will also modify the way in which the teacher of these learners will structure
classroom presentation and even the communication of the content. The same apply to another
type known as the loss of visual field. Normally, when one looks straight ahead, the individual is
able to see at a field of 1600 to 1800 wide. Some people however are not able to see in this
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manner. Some of them have visual lose that allow then to see only at peripheral field of 20
degrees or less and these are categorized as the legally blind (IRIS, 2011 ). These learners among
other mobility problems they face in learning situation have problem in tracking moving objects
and locating items in their vicinity and more so, for example those with lower field loss may not
be able to track a reading passage in a given text.
The causes of visual disabilities are many ranging from disease for example catered et cetera to
accidents to drug poisoning. What is sensitive in this matter is that the cause of loss of sight
might in addition cause other problems both physiological and psychological. For example, other
organs of the body for example the brain cell can be damaged by through accident or a brain
tumor et cetera. Furthermore, depending on the cause and the intervention measures after the loss
of sight trauma is likely to cause a psychological problem to the individual. In long run this has
an impact on the teaching and learning process.
Onset of blindness is another important variable that we need to consider. For example, research
has shown that mastery of concept by blind depends on the age at which one lost the sight.
Kitchin, Blades and Golledge (1997) found out that persons who are blind especially the
congenitally blind have great problems when it come to spatial concepts a fact that hinders them
from acquiring full dispositions from their environment.
Furthermore, research has shown that by its very nature blindness modifies the way the person
receives, evaluate and respond to information. Gouzman and Kozulin (1998) assert that learners
who are blind are faced by major cognitive problems. One of the the cognitive problems they
observe is related to the difference between the concurrent character of visual perception and the
successive character of tactile perception. The eye has ability to see a comprehensive outlook or
an overall picture instantly. Centrally, one is able to touch only one spot at time. The tactile
channel and most of its modalities could be said to be linear and slow and one would in some
occasions lose some data during the exploration and hence might not have a clear perception
through the tactile sense.
Gouzman and Kozulin further point out that the process of concept formation in learners who are
blind is dominated by two extremes: (i) extremely abstract verbal notions that have little support
in the learners' experience, and (ii) extremely concrete tactile images of every-day life objects
that possess little potential for generalization. One would support this argument by the fact that
in our everyday lives we come across concepts that holds some aspects of generality. These
concepts might therefore to some extent not be represented in the cognitive repertoire of the
learners who are blind.
The third cognitive problem that Gauzman and Kozulin note is that which is directly related to
the methods of teaching learners who are blind which almost completely exclude twodimensional schematic representations of objects and processes for example tactile graphics. In
consideration of this, it is obvious that sighted learners have developed and use more tools to
master concepts compared to the learners who are blind. The methods of teaching which exclude
the two dimension representations are predominant for the learners who are blind especially in
developing countries. For example Fraser, William, Maguvhe, and Mbulaheni (2008), from their
research in South Africa on “teaching life science to the blind learners” observed that learners
who are blind were seldom provided with learning aids including graphics and were not engaged
in activities that would challenge them to learn.
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Apart from the foregoing cognitive problems there exist economic and social barriers which
inhibit access to quality learning by the learners who are blind. One of the social barriers is
prejudice and rejection by their peers in schools and some time by their teachers. Flem and
Keller (2000) found out that the biggest difficulty facing inclusive education is that of social
integration. They affirmed that the characteristic of teachers, classroom environment ant school
climate play a great role in the learners confidence and learning. After this discussing about what
it is meant to have visual impairment perhaps it will help to explore how the learners with visual
disabilities would learn best.
The fact that learning by students with visual disabilities apparently differ from that of their
sighted peers, special accommodations and instructional strategies are required to ensure they
access quality instruction and learning. In secondary school level for example, the kind of
content presented to the learners is more and relatively complex compared to that presented in
primary schools children. In this sense, contrary to what one may think that the children are now
relatively mature and needs less assistance, the learners who are blind in the secondary schools
level may requires more intensive approach to instruction and accommodation due to the nature
of blindness and of material required for them to learn.
To help these learners rip best from their education, it would perhaps be imperative to consider
the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) methodology. First, according to CAST (2011),
“UDL anticipates the needs of individual with disabilities and accommodate these needs from
onset of curriculum development”. In this case, the barriers of learning brought about by
blindness as discussed in this paper will be detected prior to the designing and implementation of
the curriculum. In essences, Rose, Harbour, Johnston, Daley, and Abarbanell, (2006) assert that
“Universal design focuses on eliminating barriers through initial designs that consider the needs
of diverse people, rather than overcoming barriers later through individual adaptation”. In
consideration of this, despite the diverse needs of the learners with disability there is high
possibility of these learners benefiting fully by learning together with their sighted peers in an
inclusive set up. All what is essential is to follow the UDL principles which actually support
access to the ever-changing process of teaching and learning (Harbour et al, 2006). To elaborate
this it would be important to highlight these principles.
There are three major principles of UDL. The first principle is that of multiple means of
representation. This principle not only enable the students for example the learners with visual
disabilities to access material in terms of braille, large print, voice output and so on but applies
also to the approaches, and methods for teaching. Harbour et al (ibid) point out that it “ensuring
that the means for highlighting critical features, emphasizing big ideas, connecting new
information to background knowledge, modeling inquiry, and so forth, are fully accessible to all
students”. Teachers should therefore use various and flexible ways to present a single concept. It
is by doing this that the teacher will be able to ensure that every learner understand the concepts
since learners perceive things differently. In the case of the learners with visual disabilities, both
the visually impaired and the blind, the teachers in their content presentation should use to the
maximum the tactile and audio channel of communication and also residual sight for those who
are partially sighted. Of cause the presentation should be systematic and should be supported by
the use of assistive technology for the blind which may include adapted calculators, large print
texts, braille texts, tactile and enlarged graphics among others. The classroom should be ell
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arranged to allow easy movement by the blind students and addition the lighting should be
appropriate (no glare). The teachers should also strive hard to ensure that the blind learners are
respected and work freely with their sighted counterparts in class activities. When this is done,
the learners will benefit despite their differences in mastery of concepts.
The Secord principle of UDL is that of multiple means of expression. As pointed out earlier in
this paper, learners who are blind have fewer tools for learning compared to their sighted peers.
In addition the cause and the onset of the blindness differ considerably. In the same way these
learners may differ in the way they navigate their learning environment and in the way they
would express their learning. The best leaning for these learners will therefore require provision
of various ways through which the learners will express themselves in a teaching and learning
process. This could be done through mentoring, through the most interactive methods questions
answers, project reporting et cetera and of course provision of means of expressions for example
tactile and audio and even through their residual sight. After the students have gathered
information and have been able to express what they have learnt there is a need to ensure that
they are motivated to continue doing this. This leads us to the third principle of UDL.
The third principle is that of multiple means of engagement. In this principle, there should be
various ways to motivate learners. The learners will not only require extrinsic motivation for
example awards but most importantly the intrinsic motivation where the learner is willing to
continue engaging in particular activity(s) or is willing to continue learning without necessarily
being externally awarded. In essence, different means of engagement is imperative. Some of the
learners who are blind for example need to be occasionally reassured that they can make it. Due
to their experience in social stigmatization and difficulties to explore their environment like their
sighted peers some of them may lack self-confidence and hence lack self-motivation to learn.
The learning activities provided by their teachers should therefore be designed to the ability of
the learners and should be presented in an interesting manner. Additionally variety of learning
aids for example large print texts, braille texts, adopted calculators, and other computer based
assistive technology including the low-vision optical and video aids to enable partially sighted,
low vision and blind learners to engage the learners in regular class activities.
Before concluding this discussion, it is important to point out that the blind learner’s learning
needs are heterogeneous. In this case, consideration of IEP is critical. First, the IDEA
Amendment of 1997 necessitates a variety of assessment tools and strategies to be used in the
evaluation process for the purpose of gathering important functional and developmental data
about a child. The content of the learners IEP includes how the learner will be included in the
general curriculum and more so it determine the range of accommodation and modification
necessary for the learner to participate and progress in the same curriculum as for the sighted
learners (Riley, 2000). Second, the information in the IEP will definitely inform the school and
the teachers strategies on the best way to help the learners to make progress in the universally
design curriculum. Considering the discussion presented in this paper and implementing the
suggestions would create enabling environment where the learners with visual disabilities would
learn best.
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Video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9I0QhVipMU&feature=related
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