Visual Impairments
The course is aimed at teachers, HLTA’s, TAs, parents and anyone who would like to learn more about what a visual impairment is and how it can affect the learning of a child.
The course will start off with what a visual impairment is followed by the different types of visual impairments that are major contributions amongst children currently at school age.
The course will explore reasons why children may have a visual impairment and how it can affect children in their learning and daily life. Some practical elements will be undertaken to experience how children may feel and how different visual impairments can have different effects on children’s ability to access information and on their social and emotional well-being.
Body signing, the braille alphabet, guided sight techniques and technology to assist with learning will be demonstrated and hands on practical tasks will be carried out to support these. Positive looking which is an assessment programme for children with special needs will be explained, demonstrated and assessment materials will be shown. Practical elements will allow the learner to make or gain ideas for sensory items tailored to the children they work with.