Unit 3: Educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
'Introduction
Education is important for everyone, but education of learners with visual difficulties can be restricted if they face with various barriers, that is why their full and effective participation in teaching and learning needs to remove any kind of educational barriers they may face. WHO and the disability act 2008 highlighted that people with disabilities cannot participate in society as a whole if there are barriers that restrict their participation in various aspects of life.
& Unit learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
i. Identify various educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
ii. Describe different ways to overcome educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
Topics in this unit:
Topic 3.1: Educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
Topic 3.2: Overcoming educational barriers for learners with visual difficulties
Topic 3.1: Educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
This topic introduces you to educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties.
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?Activity 3 Neza is a learner in primary five (P5) at Kabaya primary school. When the teacher is teaching in the class, he is not bothered with Neza’s education challenges, when Neza declares that he is not seeing on the chalkboard the teacher ignores him. His classmates read to him what is written on the chalkboard. Q1. Identify the challenges faced by Neza while teacher is teaching? |
3.1.1 Educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties
A barrier to learning is anything that stands in the way of a child being able to learn effectively. A learner may experience one or more barriers to learning throughout his or her education. For example visual difficulties as barriers to a child's learning.
There are many educational barriers or challenges faced by learners with visual difficulties in their education. The following are some of them:
v An inflexible curriculum
v Inappropriate language
v Inappropriate communication
v Inaccessible and unsafe built environment
v Inadequate support services
v The non-recognition and non-involvement of parents
v Inadequate and inappropriately trained education managers and educators.
v Lack of Brailed text books
v Mobility problem
v Lack of hand outs
v Difficulty in writing course works
v Lack of machines like laptops, computers and Braille machines
1. Architectural Barriers: It is apparent that many buildings in some tertiary institutions are not accessible to the visually impaired because of the presence of high steps, curved stair cases, and narrow walkways
2. Negative Attitude of the Public: Attitude is a tri-element concept embodying beliefs, emotions and behavior; these characterize human beings in intra personal and in social interactions. If the attitude of the public towards the visually impaired is positive, more enlightened treatment is ensured and when attitude is negative, they will continue to suffer.
3. Inadequate Materials/Equipment: Special materials and equipment required by the visually impaired are very important because the items almost replace their eye sight. These educational items are not easy to find and the available ones are grossly inadequate to meet their educational needs. Example of materials are like cassette recorder, talking books, optical aids, Braille, typewriters etc.
4. Cost of Education: The provision of education for the visually impaired requires heavy funding and comprehensive planning, this is also a challenge.
Parental overprotection is the first factor that contributes to lack of involvement in physical activities and physical education by students with visual impairments. It is understandable that parents want to ensure their child’s safety at all costs (Hanlon & Nabbs, 2010). Physical activity is a very important as it can take care of one's health as well as the individual away from the dangerous diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and others. Landers and Arent (2001) explained that more you engage in physical activity more positive benefits to the individual and this helps in combating a variety of diseases and conditions that affect the physical and mental health. Benefits of doing physical activities are so many and among them include mental health such as cognitive function can be improved by lowering levels of anxiety and depression and increase feelings into a more positive direction through physical activity and exercise.
The lack of opportunities may cause lack confidence and be fearful of participating in typical physical activities.
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?Self-assessment Explain 3 educational barriers faced by the learners with visual difficulties |
Topic 3.2: Overcoming educational barriers for learners with visual difficulties
This topic will discuss on the various measures to overcome education barriers for learners with visual difficulties.
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? Activity 4 1. In pairs briefly discuss some ways of overcoming barriers to learning and development of learners with visual difficulties |
3.2.1 Overcoming educational barriers for learners with visual difficulties
For the visually impaired to be successful in achieving higher educational goals, the following supportive services are required as highlighted (Davis, 2021).
a) To improve professional preparation and in-service training for practicing teachers by providing information about strategies for including students with visual impairments into the main content of the curriculum. Information should include ways to modify physical and fitness activities, instructional strategies, sports and recreational activity resources.
b) Try to use auditory balls and goals when they are playing, slower moving balls, and changing-the rules of the game to accomplish the same or similar goals. Also better approach would be to incorporate activities that are independent in nature such as golf, swimming, track and field, martial arts, aerobics , wrestling, gymnastics, weight training etc… Those choices enhance the independence and opportunities for students who are visually impaired to participate successfully in physical activities.
c) Change teaching styles from a more teacher-directed (ex: command style) to a more student-centered teaching style ex: problem solving, cooperative learning, and guided discovery
d) Use of trained peer teachers or guides may promote a quicker understanding and response to the desired task and better skill performance
e) Teachers should be assured that students with visual difficulties are as capable of performing motor tasks as their sighted peers and should, therefore, be given the same opportunities for involvement in activities. Although modifications may be needed, such as task analysis, students with visual difficulties can be successful in that physical activity.
f) Provide developmental activities at an early age so that children who are visually impaired maintain the developmental skill level of their typical peers.
g) Schools and recreational programs should have available adaptations to typical sport-related activities so that students who are visually impaired may successfully participate with their same-age peers.
h) The following supportive services are also required:
· Make flexible curriculum
· Use appropriate language
· Use appropriate communication
· Prepare accessible and safe built environment
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?Self-assessment Inflexible curriculum is one the educational barriers for learners with visual difficulties, explain ways which you can use to remove this barrier for effective learning of learners with visual difficulties. |
+Summary
In this unit we discussed about Educational barriers faced by learners with visual difficulties and different ways used to overcome these educational barriers for learners with visual difficulties.
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^ Reflection questions 1. Identify 5 challenges faced by learners with visual difficulties in their learning 2. Explain ways to overcome these challenges 3. Explain 3 educational barriers faced by the learners with visual difficulties 4. You have been appointed in a school where there is a child who is blind in your class, discuss the measures you will use to assist this child to learn effectively. |