BLIND
Definition
Blindness as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an extreme visual impairment which is not correctable with glasses, contacts, or surgery. Blindness is the total inability to see. Total blindness is not correctable and only about half the cases are preventable.
What causes Blindness? Whose at Risk?
Diabetic retinopathy affects the blood vessels in the eye. This form of Diabetes attacks the blood vessels in the retina and damages them to the point where they start to break down and cause blindness. This is more common in working age adults.
Cataracts are when the lens in the eye becomes clouded. Cataracts block the light from being transmitted from the lens to the retina. This creates the inability to see properly and can lead to total blindness.
Glaucoma is when pressure builds up in the eye. The pressure builds up to the point where it damages the cells that make the optic nerve. Normally someone suffering from Glaucoma will experience a loss of peripheral vision followed by a loss in central vision, and finally total blindness.
Age-related macular degeneration is when the retina begins to weaken. This can create a weaken retina with limited vision or total blindness. there are two types of masular degeneration non-exudative or dry, and exudative or wet. This is more common in elderly people.
Elderly people are more likely than younger people to become blind. The CDC estimates that once someone reaches the age of 65 the chance become more likely and increase in age.
African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to get Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy than Caucasians. But Caucasians are more likely to develop Age Related Macular Degeneration. According to the CDC African americans and Hispanic people have a greater chance than Caucasians of becoming blind in their life.
It is important to see an eye Doctor on a regular basis meaning at least once a year. Many visual diseases if caught at an early stage can be treated and vision can be saved or prolonged.
Teaching Strategies
When teaching a student who are blind the Learning Media Assessment can be valuable to get an understanding of how students use their senses. This test shows a teacher how an individual student learns.
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has several strategies for Teaching students who are blind.
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Introduce one sound per letter at first (for example, only the hard /k/ sound of c as in the word “cat” and not the soft /s/ sound as in “cent”.)
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Teach students to stretch sounds (such as /mmmm/ and /ssss/).
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Eliminate the /uh/ sound that is often attached to certain consonants (for example, p is said /p/ and not /puh/; b is said /b/, not /buh/).
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Introduce the most frequently used letters first (a,s,t are used more often than x or q).
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Ensure that students have mastered initial letter sounds before gradually introducing others
"Teach Blind Students.” National Federation of the Blind
www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/professional-development/education
/tips-for-teaching-phonics-to-students-with-visual-impairments/1235.
Support
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National Federation for the blind (NFB) is a support group for the visually impaired.
https://www.afb.org/default.aspx
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The American Foundation for the Blind is another support group for the visually impaired.
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This resource gives information on service animals.
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This resources provides addtional inforamtion on the rights for the visual impaired.
http://blindnesssupport.com/resources.html
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This resources has a vast number of helpful websites on it.
References
"Braille Facts - What is Braille? | National Braille Week." Royal Blind - Support for Blind and Partially Sighted People. Web.
http://www.royalblind.org/national-braille-week/about-braille/braille-facts.
“Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2017,
www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/Blindness.html.
“Teach Blind Students.” National Federation of the Blind, 1 Mar. 2017, nfb.org/teachblindstudents.
“Tips for Teaching Phonics to Students with Visual Impairments.” Vision Rehabilitation Services for Older People Who Are Visually Impaired - American Foundation for the Blind, www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/professional-
development/education/tips-for-teaching-phonics-to-students-with-visual-impairments/1235.
Varma. “Visual Impairment, Blindness Cases in U.S. Expected to Double by 2050.” National Institutes of Health, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 19 May 2016, www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/visual-
impairment-blindness-cases-us-expected-double-2050.
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This article looks at the increasing number of people who are Blind in America. Dr. Varma warns on the importance of getting eye examined by a Doctor to prevent diseases that can take away ones vision. Dr. Varma informs us that Hispanics and African Americans account for the highest number of Blindness in America. This number will continue to increase as the population continues to increase.
Alonso, Tomás Ortiz, et al. “Differences in Early Stages of Tactile ERP Temporal Sequence (P100) in Cortical Organization
during Passive Tactile Stimulation in Children with Blindness and Controls.” Plos One, vol. 10, no. 7, 2015,
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124527.
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This article conducts research on object recognition, and tactile capacity between people who are blind and people who are not blind. This article conducts research involving 24 children who were either eight or 11 half of the kids were blind and the other half were not blind. They used about the same amount of boys and girls. The kids went through a number of evaluations to examine reaction time and tactile capacity.
“How Blind People See the World.” Press Release - 11 September 2006 University of Bath, University of Bath, 2018,
www.bath.ac.uk/case-studies/how-blind-people-see-the-world/.
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This article is really fascinating. They are researching technology for the Blind. They want to help people who are blind see the world around them through technology. They say a person who is blind can see with their ears and through touching. Meaning a person who can not see can see a place without actually seeing it.