Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
Syllabus
Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
Format: On-line, Self-Paced Tutorial
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This tutorial is comprised of four sessions, which include an introduction to visual impairment
and blindness, social skills, orientation and mobility, and low vision, and is comprised of
presentations, videos, and writings by professionals with specific expertise in each area.
Workshop participants will reflect on their own practice and teaching methods in each area, and
collect resources to support their students and families.
COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS:
Perkins eLearning tutorials include assignments, readings, and assessments. Students are
expected to be familiar with all material presented in the workshop, and to submit all
assignments where indicated. Included are on-screen checkboxes to help track assignment
completion.
EVALUATION OR GRADING POLICY:
All submitted material is reviewed by Perkins eLearning and is evaluated as having met the
assignment requirements. Assignments are not individually evaluated or graded. Submitted
assignments are not returned.
Assignments and assessments/quizzes are evaluated on a Pass/Fail scale, and all requirements
must be met. There is no time limit to completing a Perkins eLearning tutorial. The lesson plan
structure is suggested as the best approach to the material.
QUIZZES
At the end of each session, you will take a 10 question quiz. You have ONE opportunity to
attempt each quiz.
TEXTS:
Required readings are indicated within respective assignments. Additional, supplemental
reading is optional. There is no textbook or other material required for purchase for this tutorial.
LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES:
Knowledge: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will learn:
 The nature of different visual impairments and their impact on learning and
socialization
 Specific teaching strategies and educational adaptations for students with visual
impairments
Skill: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will be able to:
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
 Recognize categories of eye diseases and eye conditions
 Determine a student’s need for classroom adaptations based on visual assessments
and the IEP
 Define specific student needs, materials, and techniques based on their visual
impairment
 Design and adapt the learning environment and activities specific to students with
visual impairment
Caring: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become more
competent in your ability to:
 Engage education professionals, classmates, and parents in supporting skill
development in students with visual impairment
 Help prepare a student for a fully-rounded adult life
Ethical: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become more
competent in your ability to:
 Help provide academic, social, and orientation & mobility experiences in a variety of
learning environments
 Align activities and lessons to a student’s identified proficiencies and stated goals
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
X
X
_X
X
Lecture (recorded)
Discussion/Questioning
Laboratory
Problem Finding/Solving
Discovery
Interviewing
Viewing or Listening to Followed by Journaling
Reflective Responses
X
X
X_
Data Collection and Analysis
Pre-Practicum
Role Playing/Simulation
Independent Learning
Field Trips
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The required assignments for this course are listed below. Please see the individual session
description for more detail about each assignment. The learning platform also provides
checkboxes that can help you monitor your completion.
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
COURSE CONTENT / TOPICAL OUTLINE:
SESSION 1: Overview - Students with Visual Impairments (4 hours)
Session Goals:
Upon completion of this session the participant will be able to:
 Explain relevant definitions related to vision loss.
 Enumerate the implications of vision loss in the education of students with visual
impairments, such as the impact on the development of concepts
 Describe the role of key vision professionals
 Identify student rights and appropriate setting of expectations
 Identify tools and devices that help students with V.I.
 Develop techniques to make the classroom and school more user-friendly for students
with V.I.
Presentations: Adapted from An Overview of Students with Visual Impairments by Michael
Pompano, M.A.
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Part 1 – Intro: Students with Visual Impairments
Part 2 - Vision Professionals and their Responsibilities
Part 3 - Low Vision Tools
Part 4 - The Classroom Environment
Assignment #1 – "19 Ways to Step Back"
An important skill one must learn to be sensitive as to when to step back and observe, when to
intervene, and when to teach or better pre-teach specific skills to a student with a visual
impairment.
Tasks:
1. Read 19 Ways to Step Back, adapted from Classroom Collaborations by Laurel J. Hudson,
Ph.D.
2. Consider the 19 ways to step back and the role they play in effective intervention and
then write down and submit two ways (and why) that you feel they help build
independence and social skills for students with visual impairments.
Video – Visual impairment types and a student(s) you know
Access the video clip(s) below which best match the type of visual impairment of a student you
know. Please view these videos in their entirety. As you watch the video(s) you chose, consider
the children’s behavior, how their other senses might be utilized for socialization with their
peers/others, and what you might be able to do to encourage appropriate development of
social skills.
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
Assignment #2: Webquest
Consider the importance of a child you know of or work with being given access to large-print
versions of books that might be used by their fully-sighted peers. Perform a Web search and find
out where such books are acquired for that child in your home state or the state in which you
work. List 3 of these sites.
Assignment #3: Essay
Go to the Vision Loss Simulations website and research the type of vision loss that one of your
student’s or a person you know has. In a one-page paper, site 3 things that you learned from
this website that you did not understand previously, describing what your pre-conceived
understanding was of the condition(s) in question versus what you learned. Identify what you
can do differently, either in the home or school as a result of what you learned from the site and
the content of Session 1.
Quiz
SESSION 2: Social Skills (5 hours)
Session Goals:
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
 Recognize social skills of early childhood and how they are learned.
 Understand the correlation between visual impairment and a loss of access to incidental
learning and social learning.
 Distinguish the role of vision and hearing in the acquisition of social skills: observing
body language and facial expressions, searching for people to connect with socially,
looking for cues to participate in conversation or activity.
 Examine the day-to-day impacts of visual impairments within the classroom.
 Recognize the roles parents and school personnel play in the facilitation of a student’s
social skills.
 Use the knowledge gained through this session to help foster appropriate social skills
development in students
Presentations: Adapted from “Social Skills for Children and Youth with Visual Impairments” by
Tom Miller, M.A.
 Part 1 - Social Skills and How They Are Learned
 Part 2 – The Role of Adults and Education Professionals in Social Skills Development
Video – “Bingo”
In this activity, you’ll watch the video clip of the game “Bingo” being played, allowing you to
observe and analyze the social cues and interactions between the students.
Video – “Developing Social Skills in Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired”
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
In this webcast, Dr. Sharon Sachs discusses social skills development in children.
Required Reading – Dr. Sharon Sacks
What are the social skills that students who are visually impaired need to help them succeed? To
help answer this question, take a moment to read the document by Sharon Sacks, which
highlights the social skills areas needed by a child with a visual impairment.
Assignment #1 - Vision Loss and Socialization
To demonstrate the potential impact of vision loss on social skills, observe the video. As you
proceed:
 Consider how you might feel in this environment if you were the person who is visually
impaired, trying to interpret what is happening around you
 Analyze the auditory, tactile and visual cues occurring among the students in the
classroom, keeping in mind that every task happening within the room involves and
offers opportunities for social learning for all students
Tasks:
1. When you start the video, write down the social events that you think are occurring.
2. When the video transitions to a level of some visual clarity, simulating light/dark of hand
motion levels of vision, write down your interpretations of what is occurring.
3. When the video simulates 20/400 to 20/200 or low vision, write down your
interpretations of the social and classroom interactions occurring.
Assignment #2: Social Cues and Visual Impairment
You are going to a party with one friend where you will be meeting people with whom you've
never met.
Tasks: In a 1-2 page essay, write about the following:
1. What are 2 things you do when you first enter the room?
2. What are 2 cues you might use to decide whether or not to enter into a particular
group, or a conversation?
3. What are 2 things that would help you determine if you are being accepted by the group
or an individual within the group? For example, what visual (e.g. body language),
auditory (sound), tactile (touch) encourage you to continue?
4. What are 2 cues that might discourage you, so that you choose to move on and find a
different group?
5. Reviewing your list of cues, list those which are likely not accessible to a person with a
visual impairment.
6. What percentage of your cues are likely inaccessible for a student with a visual
impairment?
Assignment #3 – Webquest/Essay
1. Choose an age group (early childhood, grade school, high school).
2. Do a Webquest to find 3 organizations in your area in which a blind or visually impaired
child can participate (for example, Girl Scouts).
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
3. Submit a 1-2 paragraph essay describing why you chose those organizations and how
why you feel participation in that organization might help that student develop social
skills. Describe what you could do to include the child in this activity or setting.
Quiz
SESSION 3: Orientation and Mobility (5 hours)
Session Goals:
Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:
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Be familiar with “orientation and mobility” (O&M)
Understand the role of an O&M specialist
Recognize fundamental O&M skills and basic terminology
Recognize O&M travel skills and techniques
Be aware of additional information and resources on O&M
Presentations:
Adapted from “Orientation and Mobility: A Path to Independence” by Kathy Heydt, PT, DPT,
M.Ed., COMS
 Part 1 - Fundamentals of Orientation and Mobility
 Part 2 - Travel Techniques and Skills
Video - Sighted Guide Techniques
Video - "Billy"
Background: "Billy" is 9 years old. He has minimal light perception in his left eye and no vision in
his right eye. His visual diagnosis is Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). He has been working on
sighted guide technique with his O&M specialist. The following video shows him working on
developing this travel skill. Take a moment to watch the sighted guide video, featuring "Billy”
Assignment # 1 - “Andrew“
Background: Andrew is 11 years old. He has a medical history which includes Retinopathy of
Prematurity with resulting total blindness. He can independently travel to most of his classes
throughout the school day. In this video, he will be travelling the route to his classroom:
As the video is playing, click pause to record the time when the student’s following O&M skills
are first exhibited:
 Safe cane storage under a bench
 Using a cane to detect an object (the door)
 Diagonal cane technique
 Modified touch technique (constant contact cane technique)
 Trailing a surface with his hand
 Using a tactile landmark to locate a turn
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Assignment #2 - “Fred"
Background: Fred is 8 years old. He has a diagnosis of Grade 5 Retinopathy of Prematurity with
resulting minimal light perception. Take a moment to watch a video of a lesson with his
orientation and mobility specialist, in which he is practicing his travel skills at school.
As the video is playing, click pause to record the time when the student’s following O&M skills
are first exhibited:
 Constant contact cane technique to trail a wall
 Locating an intersecting hallway
 Using his cane to detect an object (the door)
 How to use a cane to locate stairs
 Using a tactile landmark to help locate the stairs
 Shepard's position for stair travel
Assignment #3 – Webquest/Essay
Search the internet to find three organizations in your area that provide Orientation and
Mobility training:
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Which organization can help you find Orientation and Mobility services for children?
Which organization can help you find Orientation and Mobility training for adults?
Submit a one page paper summarizing the information you found.
Assignment #4 - Essay
Submit a one page paper answering the following questions, citing specific examples from the
documents you read and/or videos you observed:
1. What were the 3 most important things that you learned about the mobility needs of
students who have blindness, low vision, or a visual impairment?
2. List 3 areas would you like to implement changes at your school or in your home that will
improve your student’s/child's ability to move freely and confidently.
3. List the steps you will take to make these changes happen.
4. How will you know if you have been successful?
Quiz
SESSION 4: Low Vision (6 hours)
Session goals:
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
 Recognize common misconceptions regarding vision loss.
 Identify some of the psycho-social barriers faced by individuals with vision loss.
 Understand the physiological process between the eyes and brain, and how “seeing”
works.
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
 Define and describe the differences between the terms “visual impairment”, “low
vision”, and “blindness”.
 Give examples of the general categories of vision loss and the associated functional
implications of each category.
 Identify different strategies to accommodate those with visual impairments
Presentations:
Adapted from “What is Low Vision?” by Dennis Lolli, M.Ed., COMS, CAGS and Darick Wright,
M.A., COMS/CLVT
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Part 1 - Common Misconceptions about Vision Loss
Part 2 - The Process of Seeing
Part 3 - Defining Visual Impairment, Low Vision; Visual Acuity vs. Visual Field
Part 4 - Types of Vision Loss
Part 5 - Approaches and Strategies for Addressing Vision Loss
Video – Adapting Environments
Video #1 - “The Tasks of the Eyes and Brain in Seeing”- Part 1” - For the casual observer, what
is “going on” in the video might seem rather unremarkable because it’s a routine task for many
people, but taken in another context: it exemplifies how easy it might be to take sight for
granted.
Video #2 - “The Tasks of the Eyes and Brain in Seeing”- Part 2”
Assignment #1 - Screen magnification options
Earlier, you learned that some computers already come with built-in screen magnification
options. If you have a computer which runs Microsoft Windows, try using the Windows
Accessibility Option to enhance the view on the screen. This is a quick (and inexpensive) means
of getting a feel for enlarged print on the screen.
For Windows 8:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows8/default.aspx
For Windows 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows7/
Assignment #2 – Webquest
A student you work with needs to know how to go about getting a magnifier on-line. For your
own knowledge, perform a Web search and provide 2 examples of types of magnifiers found on
the market. Write down their names and the Websites that you found them on.
Final Assignment
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Syllabus-Welcoming Students with Visual Impairment to Your School
Write a 2 page paper, citing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What, if any misconceptions did you once hold about people with visual impairments?
Which visual impairment(s) does a student you work with or child you know have?
What accommodations have been made for the student?
In terms of social-skills development, what were the most important things that you
learned about his/her needs at home and/or at school?
In what areas would you like to implement changes at home or at your school that will
improve the child’s social skills development and sense of inclusion with the world
around him/her?
What are the specific steps you will take to make these changes happen?
How will you know if you have been successful?
What did you learn from this course that you didn’t know at the start?
Quiz
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