Visual Impairments

Team: Christina Frydrych, Leslie Pachol

Fall 2007

Normal Vision

Central Visual Field Loss

Heminanopsia

Tunnel Vision

Anatomy of the Eye

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