Children with Developmental Challenges

Children With Developmental Challenges 3(2+1)

Lesson 13 : Educational Programmes for the Blind

Adaptation of the General Curriculum

• Individualization: Blind child differ from each other as much as or more than children in a class for the sighted. The degree of blindness, age, home background, differences in intelligence and the special teaching, problems which they present and hence require an individualized programme for each child. The size of the class for the blind is generally six to eight pupils and each child’s programme must be fitted to his particular needs.
• Concreteness: The blind child’s knowledge is gained primarily through hearing and touch. But it is necessary to make him really understand the world about him. So the child should be presented with concrete objects which can be touched and manipulated. Through tactual observation of models of objects he can learn about their shapes size weight hardness surface qualities pliability and temperature. Models of objects are enlarged if the actual objects are too small or contractions if they are too large.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Unified instructions: The teacher has to bring the “wholes” in to perspective through actual concrete experience and attempt to unify them through explanation and sequencing.
• Additional stimulation: Left on their own blind children live a relatively restricted life. To expand their horizons, to develop imagery and to orient them develop these experiences by systematic stimulation.
• This requires programming of stimulating experiences from the time the children begin to walk.
• Mental orientation to their environment can begin by mapping the classroom and having them find their way around it.
• Later the orientation is extended to the large schools and later still to the community through travel instruction.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Self activity:for a blind child to learn about his environment, it is necessary to initiate self-activity. A blind infant does not reach out for an abject because it does not attract him. He /she must know of its existence by touch or smell. Maturation must be aided at all stages and opportunities for doing things himself should be provided encouragement.