As part of the Functional Vision Evaluation, it is necessary to assess the student's distance visual acuities (including their intermediate and distance responses). The technique used will vary depending on the students cognitive abilities.
Assess the student's distance vision using a combination of informal and formal devices. Assessment should include classroom activities, such as reading the chalkboard, as well as activities that take place outside the classroom, such as reading a banner in a hallway, catching a ball in a PE class, or identifying the bus after school. A formal distance-screening procedure should be included in the functional vision assessment to act as a comparison with clinical measures provided in the report of the clinical low vision specialist. Functional tasks using distance vision should include familiar an unfamiliar ones under different lighting conditions.
In the classroom, the most common activities for the use of distance vision are reading the chalkboard, dry erase boards, overhead transparencies or smart board. Also note the student's preferred seating arrangement for these activities, including the approximate viewing distance from the material and lighting. Other activities include reading bulletin boards, recognizing pictures and posters, viewing slides and videotapes, locating classmates and one's desk, seeing the teacher's facial expressions, and retrieving dropped objects from the floor.
Outdoor playing fields and indoor gymnasiums are difficult environments for some students with low vision because of variations in lighting and the need to respond to moving objects and people at different distances, such as when playing ball.
The cafeteria requires the use of distance vision for proceeding through the line, identifying foods, and recognizing the faces of classmates against a busy and colorful background.
Hallways necessitate the use of distance vision for recognizing friends, since the inability to recognize others can be misinterpreted as unfriendliness; otherwise, students with low vision may need to greet an approaching student aloud to receive a response and identify the speaker's voice. Also note the students ability to locate exit signs, room signs, locker, restroom, and names on doors. Note if the student can locate cafeteria, office, media center/library, health room, and auditorium.
The auditorium requires the use of distance vision for viewing a performance or a speaker during assembly. In this setting, it is important to note how the student responds if he cannot see enough detail to enjoy a performance: Does the student ask a classmate to provide essential information, use a monocular, or select a seat close to the front but away from friends and classmates?
Community opportunities to observe use of distance vision include: finding hidden objects, spotting airplanes and oncoming traffic, blowing bubbles, reading street numbers and signs, reading signs in stores, and watching birds. Distance acuity is used for visual tasks such as visual orientation to the environment, physical movements, and activities such as driving, sports and gross motor tasks. It is also needed for viewing the chalk/Smart-board in classroom, fast food menus, scoreboard at ball games and simple activities like seeing the classroom clock.
Depending on the results of the Distance Visual Acuity, the following strategies, recommendations, and accommodations may be necessary to meet the students unique visual needs:
Teach systematic search of the environment.
Preferential seating in class as well as in assemblies and movies and all demonstration lessons.
Verbalize all information presented on the board.
Instruct student in using low vision devices (if prescribed) for distance viewing.
May need copy of notes written on board (by peer or teacher)
May need to learn recording strategies/techniques
If chalkboard is still used, use white chalk on a clean chalkboard.
If a dry erase board is used, use bold, high contrast markers on clean board.
May need verbal descriptions of demonstrations and films/movies.
Strategies & Tips for Conducting a FVELMA Presentation
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TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
$50.00
Written specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), this book consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level.
The core activities listed in the Activity section can be adapted to each thematic unit. These include:
Object Characteristic Activities
Quantity & Number Concepts
Time Concept Activities
Environment & Job Awareness Activities
Listening Skills Activities
Reading Foundation Activities
Reading Fluency Activities
Braille Basics Activities
Writing Activities
Tactual Efficiency Activities
Developing Skillful Hands Activities
Visual Efficiency Activities
Optical Device Instruction Activities
Recipe Activities
In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.
Unique Concepts within the Units include:
Self Advocacy Activities (e.g. advocating for safe classroom, presenting to class on visual impairment, requesting help and more)
Social Skills Activities (e.g. Being bullied or teased, giving and receiving compliments, body language, "I" messages when upset and more)
Recreation & Leisure Activities (e.g. exploring interest areas, getting involved in clubs and sports, playing games, and more)
O&M Support Activities (e.g. Suggestions for community based experiences, dog guide information, locations in the school, bioptics, ride sharing, traffic signs, and more)
Independent Living Skill Activities (e.g. chores, being responsible, using tools, recipe suggestions, hygiene, staying healthy, labeling foods and products, and more)
Sensory Efficiency Activities (e.g. unique sensory experiences related to the unit, unique optical device activities, and more)
Compensatory Activities (e.g. organizing materials, study habits, and many unique concepts related to the unit)
Career & Vocational Activities (e.g. job awareness, completing applications, job task suggestions, and more)
Although the intended audience of this resource is fellow Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, special education teachers may find these activities beneficial to the students in their classrooms as the activities are multisensory and include life skills and concepts needed by all students. This resource, however, is not intended to take the place of a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI). Readers are advised to consult their own TVI’s regarding instruction in the ECC and the unique visual needs of the student’s served in their programs.
Note: This curriculum is a digital pdf download. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number.
Each download is intended for single instructor use per copyright. Thank you for helping me preserve the content and not distributing copies to third parties.
Product details
Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
Visual Efficiency & Magnifier Fluency Grab & Go ECC Supplements
$20.00
This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a supplement to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.
Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
Digital pdf download: 210 pages
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
