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Ways to teach visually impaired or blind children
Total blindness is simple to recognise. Generally speaking, it is discovered in a youngster before he turns a year old, if not before. These kids need to get an education outside of the visual spectrum. A kid who develops blindness after birth may, however, preserve his visual imagery and link what he hears or touches to it. A child who is born blind (congenital) relies on hearing and touch for his information. Blind children’s schooling is undoubtedly laborious. Teachers frequently take on the role of blind children’s companions. The goal of these children’s early education is to get them in touch with their senses—their kinesthetic, gustatory, cutaneous, and olfactory—and to spark their interest in learning. Recently, specific educational programmes have been developed for blind and mentally handicapped students.
Individualized education and courses with no more than four students are prioritised. The wide utilisation of auditory, factual, and kinesthetic experiences, along with particular mobility training, are all part of these special teachings.
Some educational provisions are being discussed below:
- Residential School: For blind youngsters, residential schools are crucial. The school helps the kids by employing unique techniques and tools. Classes taught in braille are highly helpful to them. An adult blind youngster must learn to adapt to the world he must live in. Only the additional support required for the blind kid to engage in regular classroom education is provided by braille lessons. In addition to this, social adjustment is the main goal of this type of education.
- Special Equipment: The educational medium should change for blind pupils. Practice on a conventional typewriter should receive additional attention since these kids need to learn through touch and sound. It enables written correspondence. Use relief maps and globes for teaching geography. To introduce students to their surroundings, schools organise field trips and study tours. Children must be given the chance to visit museums, and they must be given specifically created instructional models for further experience.
- Physical Education: When it comes to physical activity, blind youngsters are severely constrained. However, special consideration must be given to gymnastics, exercises that improve posture, such as sports, jogging, swimming, rowing, and wrestling, as well as all forms of outdoor activity. Physical education also includes a variety of handicrafts. The study of domestic arts for females should be prioritised.
- Workshops: Sheltered workshops for the blind are undoubtedly beneficial for vocational training and employment. Previously, the primary focus of these workshops’ vocational training was nearly entirely on items like brooms, carpets, and brushes. However, the workshops are currently a part of several industrial enterprises. One such workshop has been established in India, in Worli (Bombay), and reports indicate that it offers excellent vocational training and employment to blind people.
The aforementioned corrective methods for blind and partly sighted children are only feasible with the cooperation of parents, educators, and government agencies.
