Degrees of visual defect
- Partial blindness in children causes difficulties in areas of speed and accuracy of visual perception. Visual information contains inaccuracies, confusion, distortion or deformation. Among children with severe visual impairment we distinguish between medium and heavy partial blindness.
- Heavy partial blindness. Children with this level of visual defect are used to using compensatory methods, because their visual cortex does not take a leading role in obtaining information from the child’s surroundings. As a result, visual perception and imagination are significantly reduced or distorted.
- Practical blindness. Children with this level of visual defect retain sensitivity to light and the ability to perceive movement of a distinct object. In other cases their visual field is narrowed to the area of central fixation (so-called tunnel vision is characterized by a lack of peripheral vision preventing visual orientation within one’s environment).
- Full blindness. Blind children have to rely on their remaining senses when collecting information from their surroundings.
People with visual impairments fall into the following different categories of the perception of visual information:
• visual acuity (distant, near),
• detail perception,
• colour perception,
• field of view (range of perceived space),
• adapting to light, photodysphoria (light, glare)
Support for children with visual impairments in kindergarten
In the kindergarten, milder visual impairments may be discovered, which is why it is important to observe children’s behavior when obtaining information visually. On noticing anything significant (for instance a child brings toys, worksheets or books very close to their face, or turns them around in odd ways, doesn’t notice details which everyone else has no problem seeing, often collides with furniture, etc.), one should inform the parents of this fact and recommend a professional eye examination.
To support those children who primarily utilize vision when learning we can recommend:
• If recommended by the school counselling facility, we can create a work station in the class with appropriate lighting and an adjustable work top.
• Use bright-colored masking tape to mark critical places where a child might get hurt (stairs, protruding edges of furniture), large panes of glass should be fitted with colorful decorations, to make it clear they aren’t just open space. The child’s place in the changing room should also be distinctly marked.
• Based on the recommendations of the school counselling facility, we should include individual activities aimed at the development of visual perception and compensatory senses, spatial orientation, fine and gross motor skills including practicing correct movement stereotypes,etc.
• For visual aids we should prefer actual objects and demonstrations over pictures.
• When working with pictures we make use of simple images with distinct contours and colors, without a large number of details.
• We can utilize compensatory aids based on the recommendations of the school counselling facility.
• We ensure the child wears glasses even during motion activities (it is advisable to secure them with an elastic strap).
• If a child is prescribed an eye patch, this should especially be used in the morning hours during directed activities.
• According to the recommendations of the school counselling facility we should ensure appropriate conditions for regular visual hygiene.
To support children with severe visual disability who must learn using compensatory senses we can recommend:
• Eliminate obstacles to the child’s movement.
• Only change the class environment if entirely necessary and always introduce the child to any new layout.
• The child’s place in the changing room should be easily within reach, as well as their permanent place in the dining room.
• Based on the recommendations of the SCF, we should equip the school facilities with guide rales, tactile markers and other aids facilitating movement and orientation.
• Art activities should be adjusted so that the child is able to participate with the others (instead of drawing they can model or create collages out of various materials).
• We should include individual work with the child in the regular daily schedule so as to practice specific skills, especially developing tactile perception (in preparation for reading and writing in Braille).
• If a teacher’s assistant is providing assistance, we should still make sure the child is led to be as autonomous as possible. The assistant should not do anything for the child, which they are capable of doing on their own or with practice.