Functional
Curriculum
For Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired with
Additional Disabilities
Nathalie de Wit, MS
Perkins School for the Blind
Fundamental Questions
•Where are we going?
•How will we get there?
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Functional Curriculum
• What is Functional Curriculum?
• A curriculum that helps our students learn their
world around them
• A curriculum that helps our students learn how
to interact in this world
• A curriculum that teaches our students in a
systematic way what other students might gain
through incidental learning
• So, a curriculum that teaches functional skills
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Things to think about…
• Chronological Age
• Natural Environments
• Teach Incidental Learning
• Importance of Routines
• Individualization
• Independence
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Chronological Age
• Are the activities age appropriate?
• Are the students treated as their
peers?
• Are students given autonomy?
• Is the focus on independence?
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Natural Environments
• Different types of environments
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Home
School/Work
Community
Leisure
• Carry-over
• Routines
• Independence
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Incidental Learning
• We need to teach it!
• Routines
• Opportunities throughout the day
• Purposeful – what is the function?
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Individualization
• Each student is unique
• Understand where the
student is
• Understand the
student’s goal
• How can we get there?
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Routines are Crucial
• Activities that teach should be part of the routine
• Understanding within context
• Activities:
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Cooking
Hygiene
Object Identification
Independent activities
Pre-Voc
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A Total Communication
Approach
• Using Behavior
• Using Gestures
• Using Manual Signs
• Using Augmentative Communication Devices
• Using Picture symbols or tactile symbols
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Choices are Essential
• Choices give students their voice
• Choices make the world more predictable
• Choices can increase preferred behavior
• Choices can show comprehension
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Choices via iPad
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Tactile Schedules
and Routines
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Object Identification
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Daily Living Skills turn into
Functional Curriculum Activities
• Setting the table
• Object Identification
• Left/right – Top/Bottom – next to
• Cleaning up after meals
• In/out
• Hygiene
• Doing the laundry
• Object Identification
• Matching/Sorting
• Texture Discrimination
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Cooking
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Story Boxes
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Experience Books
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Pre-Vocational
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Accessing the Computer
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Independent Activities
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Conclusion
• Understand your student and his or her needs
• Analyze each routine activity to understand
what can be taught
• Give choices
• Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!
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Functional Curriculum
Resources
• Using Developmental Checklists such as The Oregon Project
for Blind and Visually Impaired Pre-School Children: Skills
Inventory
• Independent Living Skills Assessment (ILSA)
• Perkins Activity Resource Guide
• http://www.tsbvi.edu/curriculum-a-publications/3/1032functional-academics-a-curriculum-for-students-with-visualimpairments
• http://products.brookespublishing.com/The-SyracuseCommunity-Referenced-Curriculum-Guide-for-Studentswith-Moderate-and-Severe-Disabilities-P314.aspx
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