Running Head: COLLECTION OF EXPERIENCE: VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Collection of Experience: Visual Impairments

Jessica Drew

Hope College

Edu 225-03

Professor Michelle Bryson

January 31, 2017

COLLECTION OF EXPERIENCES: VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS 1

Collection of Experience: Visual Impairments

Imagine you are at beach on a warm summer night. You feel the cool breeze on your

face. You smell the salt in the air. You hear the waves crashing into the shore. You look out to

see the beautiful colors of the sunset, but all you see is black. If you are lucky enough you see a

blur of color. Your eyes are open, but you can not see the beauty of the world you live in.

Unfortunately, people experience this every time they go to the beach. I had an opportunity to

experience what this would be like during a simulation conducted in my Ed Psych class. First, it

is important to understand what blindness is. Next, I reflected on my personal experiences with

people who have blindness. Then we conducted the blind encounters simulation. After, I

reflected on my experiences, applied it to my future, and learned about assistive technology for

those visually impaired.

According to the M ichigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE), a

visual impairment is defined as:

(1) A visual impairment shall be determined through the manifestation of both of the following:

(a) A visual impairment which, even with correction, interferes with development or

which adversely affects educational performance. Visual impairment includes both partial sight

and blindness.

(b) One or more of the following:

(i) A central visual acuity for near or far point vision of 20/70 or less in the better

eye after routine refractive correction.

(ii) A peripheral field of vision restricted to not more than 20 degrees.

(iii) A diagnosed progressively deteriorating eye condition.

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(2) A determination of impairment shall be based upon a full and individual evaluation by a

multidisciplinary evaluation team, which shall include an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

(3) If a student cannot be tested accurately for acuity, then functional visual assessments

conducted by a teacher certified in visual impairment may be used in addition to the medical

evaluation for determination of impairment.

(4) For students with visual impairment who have a visual acuity of 20/200 or less after routine

refractive correction, or who have a peripheral field of vision restricted to not more than 20

degrees, an evaluation by an orientation and mobility specialist shall be conducted. The

orientation and mobility specialist shall also include in the report a set of recommended

procedures to be used by a mobility specialist or a teacher of students with visual impairment in

conducting orientation and mobility training activities. (Michigan Department of Education

Office of Special Education).

I have had very few experiences with people who have visual impairments. In high

school there was a kid named Tony. Tony was completely blind in both of his eyes. Many of my

interactions with him happened during passing time in the hallway. Tony had a walking stick that

helped guide him through the hallways. Every time you heard, Click, Click, Click. You knew

you had to jump out of the way quick or you were going to get tripped or whacked with his guide

stick. Sometimes we swore he did it on purpose for entertainment. Tony was a really fun loving

guy. He knew everyone by name and could tell who was who by the sound of our voices. I even

had the opportunity to have a class with Tony. I observed how he took notes on a computer and

he read by using braille. It was so interesting to watch. One day at the end of the semester Tony
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said he had a surprise for us. He brought in his keyboard and guitar to play and sing songs for us.

It was inspiring to watch him.

I personally experienced what it would be like to suffer from blindness during a

simulation in class. We used blindfolds to blind ourselves and had another student to help guide

us. During this simulation I had to use money to make a purchase, pour a glass of juice, sign my

name on a piece of paper, took a picture with another blind student, and walked up and down

stairs. The moment I put the blindfold on and took my first step I felt directionless. Every step I

took it felt like I was about to fall off an edge or hit my head. I knew I had a guide that would not

allow me to do so but I still felt that way. After walking around for about five minutes I became

accustomed to that feeling. The first thing we did was go down the hall to an office. I had to find

a desk with a piece of paper on it and write my name. First I felt for the paper, then I had to feel

the whole paper in order to determine where I should start writing. It felt as if I was writing my

name all over the place but my guide said I stayed between the

lines. Next, we walked back down the hall to the stairwell. I

shimmied my feet until they lined with the edge of the steps and

then started down. Walking down the stairs was easy until you

had to figure out which is the last step. Once we got to the bottom

I felt relieved. From there we went outside where I ran into

another blind student. We were told to take a picture together.

This Figure 1: Taking a picture seems like a simple task but it was hard to know where to

look. With another blind We had to follow the voice of the person with the camera.

All of student. us then proceeded back up the stairs. Going up the

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stairs had the similar struggles as going down. Once we reached the classroom we were

challenged with the task of purchasing food and beverages. There was a tin full of change and I

had to find forty seven cents to purchase a donut. This task was the

most frustrating task for me. I could not differentiate between a

penny and a dime. It took me at least five minutes to complete this

task. I finally got forty seven cents but then I had to choose my

donut. Thankfully, my guide was very helpful in this process. I

finally got my donut but I started eating it upside down. The last task

was pouring a glass of apple juice. With my guide helping me and telling me when to stop

Figure 2: Eating Donut

pouring, this task was relatively easy. upside down.

I only had a short lived experience of what it would be like to have a visual impairment.

It made me feel really helpless as an individual depending on my guide for everything . Having a

visual impairment would be very stressful because a lot of those people need help for everyday

functions but at the same time feel belittled getting help. I am wondering if you get better at tasks

after a while to the point where you no longer need assistance. I am also curious how different

individuals experiences are if they were born blind or not.

Experiencing this simulation helps put you in the shoes of those people who have visual

impairments. This is extremely helpful when it comes to working with these people. At this point

in my life I am not sure what my end career will be but I assume it will be dealing with the

general public. Any occupation you go into, you have the chance of working with people who

have visual impairments. This activity will help me be more empathetic in those situations. I also
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enjoyed the fact that we got to experience being a guide. I learned the responsibilities and tricks

of helping someone out with a visual impairment. I

feel I can use these skills with any occupation I

choose.

Nowadays there are a lot more assistive

technologies to help those with visual impairments.

An assistive technology for a person who is

completely blind is a simple screen reading software.

This software takes whatever is written on the screen Figure 3: Me being a guide

and reads it aloud so the person can hear. Some computers have the software built in while others

are available for purchase. This is a simple assistive technology that is effective but simple to

use. An assistive technology for someone who is partially blind is a magnification software. This

is another simple software that acts like

a magnifying glass for the computer

screen. These two are simple fairly

inexpensive assistive technologies

(Mobility International USA). Another

more complex assistive technology is a

refreshable braille reader. A Focus 14 Figure 4: Focus 14 connected to Ipad

is exactly that. It connects wirelessly and it allows the visually impaired to read through things

that are online. It has buttons that allow you to scroll and the 14 braille cells refresh showing new

words and sentences. The Focus 14 is nice because it is small and portable (Liamsmom).
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References

Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education. (2016). Michigan

Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE) With Related IDEA Federal

Regulations. 2010-2015. Retrieved from

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MARSE_Supplemented_with_IDEA_Regs_3

79598_7.pdf

Mobility International USA. (2016, Dec. 12). Assistive technology for blind or low vision.

Retrieved from http://www.miusa.org/resource/tipsheet/assistivetechnologyforblind

Liamsmom. (2016, November 20). Paths to Literacy. Introducing a Braille Display to A Kid

Who Is Deafblind. Retrieved from

http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/technology/introducing-braille-display-child-who-deafblin

d.