After looking at assistive technology in general I decided to focus on visually impaired students. I feel like all of us will have to deal with a visually impaired student during some point in our teaching careers. Recent polls show that more and more people are lacking health insurance, which usually includes some form of eye care. If students do not have access to glasses because their parents cannot afford it you will need to take steps to make sure that the student is given the best chance to learn possible. If you notice a student straining to see what is on the board, or they have their nose practically on any paper that they are reading they may have a visual problem. Most of these types of problems can be solved by just moving the student closer to the board, or getting some large print material. If the problem is serious enough you may check with your school nurse to see if there are any programs out there to get the student a free or reduced priced pair of glasses.
Next I am going to talk about students that have more serious visual impairment issues. These students will not be helped by moving closer to the board, or something that basic. They will need much greater help in being able to read and see classroom material. Many great new tools have come into the market in the last few years. There are screens that you can put a book under and it enlargens the print of the book. This can save money in the long run, as you do not need to get as many books in large print. There are also board magnifiers that can enlargen the images on the board on a computer screen that sits on the students desk. The list could go on and on with all the new technology out there. The most important thing to remember is that you should talk to your students and their family ahead of time, and to have everything in place for the student beforehand. This can help to save on any embarrassment that the student may feel. In my resources I will link the website that I looked at that has a lot of useful assistive technology for the visually impaired.
Resources:
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109
http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/lv/lowvision-products.asp
http://standards.gov/standards_gov/assistiveTechnology.cfm
Its so true that eye care is lacking because of insurance. Personally on my insurance, i am only allowed to get a new pair every other year and I still have to pay for part of them. That is pretty good in the world of eye care. I hope that schools have programs and possible options for students to get eye care. My husband just went on a trip to Alabama for the guard to give students and children glasses in a very poor community. I am glad to see something happening.
ReplyDeletePeter, I think that you did a great job on this post. I can tell you really did some serious research and found interest in those that suffer from visual impairments and what they can use to help. I looked into audio books and became interested in the different ways that visual impairments can be accommodated, as well. It is amazing how popular audio books have become for everyone, impaired or not.
ReplyDeleteI did research on the same topic, but I focused more on students who were completely blind. I do like the idea of a machine that enlarges the print because I agree that it would save money in the long run (not to mention space) by not requiring large print books for students with low vision.
ReplyDeleteI recently had an eye exam and had to pay out of pocket for the exam because my insurance has a high deductible. I never meet the deductible, so it is almost like not having insurance. My exam was $120, which is not much more than filling a gas tank in a big vehicle these days. My eyeglasses were more expensive because I opted for a fairly expensive frame and, due to my prescription, I need progressive lenses that are made of ultra thin material. I'm guessing that a child's prescription would be half what mine was, if not less. Mine was $300. Now, let's say a child's prescription is the same as mine (exam and all). At $420, that would cost a little over $8 per week to pay for over the course of a year. The other day I went to McDonald's and got a "meal," which was roughly $7, so just over the price of one meal a week at a fast food restaurant, I could set aside that money, eat a sandwich at home, and pay for a pair of glasses instead. I use McD's as my example of "money that could have been spent on other things" because I have cleaned up apartments of countless "low income" families who, based on the amount of McD's containers and toys I saw, seemed to feed their kids a regular diet of fast food. They all were receiving public assistance of one form or another, and all of their children qualified for "Denali KidCare," Alaska's health insurance for income-eligible children under age 18. http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1595 Other states have similar programs, but I am focusing on Alaska since that is where I live. Anyhow, I don't think that insurance or lack thereof is something that should keep children who need eyeglasses from getting eyeglasses. I think it is the parents' priorities that are out of line. Even those who are "middle income" can afford basic health care and eye care if they adjust their spending and start budgeting for such things. How many people who "can't afford" eye care or doctor visits for their kids spend money on fast food, a case of beer each weekend, a trip to Starbucks, etc.? This all adds up. Anyway, for those who truly cannot afford eye care, even when cutting out unnecessary spending and modifying their budget, there ARE places to get help. The Lions Club is a volunteer service organization that works to help people in local and global communities who need eye care. http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php
Sorry about the rant; I just think that before we conclude that lack of insurance is why people "can't afford" to take care of their children's needs, we should take a closer look at what other things that people "can" afford.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that you went with assistive tech for kids with visul impairments. As you know I wear glasses. I also have dyslexia, so I can use all the visual assistive tech that I can get my hands on. I can remember being moved to the front of the classroom. It always liked the overhead projector. It is amazing how far these assistive techs have come since I was in elementary school. I am not surprised since I have been out of elementaty school for quit sometime lol. Peter once again you provided me with some really good information for when I start to teach.
I like how you focused on visually impaired students. I have worn glasses since 2nd grade when my teacher noticed me walking toward the board when copying work down because I couldn't see from my seat. My parents got me an eye appointment and sure enough I needed glasses. I think that the technology available for students who's eyesite isn't fixable with glasses is amazing. I really liked reading about the screens that books can be put under to enlarge the print. This is a great way to lesson the cost of ordering new books while enabling a child to enjoy reading. I know if my eyes couldn't be fixed by glasses I would be in a world of hurt because I love to spend my spare time reading.
ReplyDeletePeter, I liked that you focused specifically on visual impairments. It helped to give me a better understanding about the difficulties and the benefits of assistive technology that relate to visual impairments. I liked that you pointed out that moving a student closer to the board might not work, as a teacher it's important that we take notice to students that are having ongoing problems. We need to find these students more permanent solutions to better their learning experience. Very helpful tips to help students with visual impairments.
ReplyDeletePeter, I liked the way that you addressed the different levels of visual impairments that students may be faced with. There are more severe cases than others, and I liked the way that you gave methods for dealing with those particular issues. I didn't know about the screens that can enlarge text from books, what a god idea.
ReplyDelete