teaching tips and use of technology

Some Blind Achievers

Depending on the social support,
visually impaired persons have made headway in almost every sphere of life.



Help them integrate in the mainstream society



Born : 27 June 1880
Died : 1 June, 1968



In Helen's own words: "The public must learn that the blind man is neither genius nor a freak nor an idiot. He has a mind that can be educated, a hand which can be trained, ambitions which it is right for him to strive to realise, and it is the duty of the public to help him make the best of himself so that he can win light through work."


Ted Henter: Mr. Henter, a member of the Freedom Scientific board of directors, is an engineer by training, and he first learned computer programming after losing his sight as a result of an automobile accident. In 1987, nine years after having lost his sight, he founded Henter-Joyce and began developing software designed to convert computer text to speech so that visually-impaired people could use a computer. Mr. Henter’s goal in the development of JAWS was to enable people who are blind or who have low vision to be able to achieve the same or higher productivity in computer-based jobs as sighted people. Henter-Joyce also developed MAGic screen magnification software and other assistive technology software that the visually-challenged have used to significantly improve their lives.

The first hole-in-one recorded by a blind or visually impaired golfer in a National Open was scored on September 15, 2004 by Jan Dinsdale. In March 2005, American blind golfer Joel Ludvicek, 78, scored a hole-in-one in the 168-yard No. 11 hole at the Twin Pines golf course in Iowa, USA.

• Blind golfer hits hole-in-oneA 92-year-old blind golfer has hit a hole-in-one in Florida. Leo Fiyalko was playing a 110-yard, par-3 hole in Clearwater.“It was my first hole-in-one, and I never saw it,” he said. “I was just trying to put the ball on the green.” Mr Fiyalko once played to a seven handicap but he began suffering macular degeneration 10 years ago. He is now legally blind and needs help lining up his shots and finding his golf balls.Mr Fiyalko was playing with a group-of-friends when he hit his hole-in-one but they were all looking for a lost ball as he prepared to tee off. His friends in the Twilighters Club golf group presented him with a plaque to commemorate the feat. Ananova


Miles Hilton-Barber (Blind) flew from London to Sydney, via Karachi, to support Standard and Chartered Bank’s
SEEING IS BELIEVING PROGRAMME






Honorable David A. Paterson, legally blind, was sworn-in by Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye as the 55th Governor of New York on Monday afternoon. Here with wife Michelle, daughter Ashley.


Henry, Sarah and Chris celebrating their first London Marathon!

Teaching tips
Use of Technology for teaching blind persons.
Before I start my presentation, let us remind ourselves that………..


LOOSING SIGHT DOES NOT MEAN LOOSING VISION
Know the extent, intensity of blindness
Begin by understanding the visual condition of the blind student. Assess how much residual vision a person is left with. This fact-finding is an indispensable exercise in the case of a low vision or partially blind student, as the vision they are left can still be made optimum use of. And accordingly ways of learning could be devised, for example, the use of large font print books.


Know the history
Next, get to know about how and when the person became blind. This information would be useful because if a person became blind at the age of nine or later, he or she has certain visual memory. They would perceive ideas and concepts differently from someone who became blind at birth.


Know the history
Persons who lost their sight at the age of about 9 or 10 have concepts of FONTS, TABLES, SHAPES, COLOURS etc.
Establish a rapport
Any child, whether blind or not is just a child first. The aim of teaching any child is to make them independent, to teach them to adapt themselves to situations, environment. However, learning to adapt comes more naturally when one is given a chance to interact and communicate. And for this, establishing rapport becomes vital. So, talk to the blind child, give them confidence and ask whether there is any special requirement.


Get Reader’s help: check with peers
There is no real substitute to actual reading. A blind person has to depend on somebody who reads to them.

Use of JAWS however eliminates such dependence and provides freedom to the Blind person to “hear” the reading material of his choice at a time convenient to him.


Computer aided learning
In the past few years huge strides have been made in the area of adaptive technology in the realm of computers. The use of this enables people with vision impairment to be at par with others when it comes to participation and contribution both within the classroom and in extra curricular activities.

Computer aided learning
Not knowing Braille is the least of problem for a teacher today and even a student, provided they have been trained in using computers with speech software such as JAWS (Job Access With Speech). Other software programmes such as Kurzweil enable users to scan in books, articles, bills, and advertisements - almost anything that fits on a scanner so they can quickly have the information read aloud. Similarly computers would be of great help when examining progress of a blind student, as they pose minimal interference, aid independence and confidence in the student. So, use the technology to its best advantage.


Attention to detail while teaching
A blind student cannot read from the blackboard, cannot read and follow line-to-line decipherers from a book. Thus, a teacher should pay attention to detail while teaching. For example, teaching the format of a letter say out, 'On the left hand corner of your page you write the address. The address of this college is Nizami Road, near Purani Numaish.
Attention to detail while teaching
Remember the blind student cannot see the board but he or she can hear well. When plans or diagrams are used, you can emboss them for your students by sticking string to cardboard. When explaining texture, use real objects like a metal button, a plastic button or a wooden button. So, where ever possible try to give first hand experience, use real life objects and try to be innovative.


Conclusion
A visually impaired student loses only his sight but not his vision to see the world. Their other senses are intact, so focus on developing and utilizing these remaining senses. Learning is very much tied up with culture, exposure and experiences. Blind students may not be able to acquire exposure and experiences the same way as sighted students. So teachers of the blind may have to go an extra edge than other teachers. Bring experiences and exposure to the blind students.





I will be happy to answer if you have any questions on this subject.