Curriculum
SASVI students participate in age appropriate use of the Australian Curriculum as well as the Expanded Core Curriculum.
EXPANDED CORE CURRICULUM FOR STUDENTS WITH VISION IMPAIRMENT
Vision is the primary integrating sense, and plays a
vital part in learning. It is estimated that up to
80% of learning is visual.
Children and young people with vision impairment
(VI) will often have delays in concept development,
as they may receive reduced incidental information
from their environment. They may have limited
ability to scan and connect items of information.
To support successful learning, students with VI may
need:
- adaptation of the regular curriculum (content and strategies)
- use of adapted teaching methodologies
Research shows that students with VI usually require planned and structured delivery of an expanded core curriculum with explicit teaching and assessment.
This curriculum includes:
- Braille
- Functional Vision Training
- Independent Living Skills
- Orientation and Mobility
- Recreation and Leisure
- Self-Determination
- Social Skills
- Technology Skills, including Adaptive Technology and Touch Typing
- Transition to Post School Pathways
Braille
Students with VI need to develop competence and
confidence with a flexible system of reading and
writing that supports an efficient work rate and
reduces visual fatigue. To access and produce print,
students are likely to use alternative formats such
as Braille, tactile diagrams, large print and/or
audio. Students are assessed throughout their
education to identify the most accessible
medium/media. This also involves learning to use a
range of technologies.
Training In Use of Functional Vision
Most students with VI have some useful vision.
Individuals may use this vision differently. Factors
affecting their use of residual vision relate to
their eye condition, their previous learning
experiences, and their environment. Students’ visual
function can be assessed and they can be taught to
use low vision devices and other strategies to
increase their access to visual information. For
example, it may be beneficial to provide instruction
in the use of magnifiers to read print at close
range and/or monocular telescopes and binoculars to
view information in the distance. Having various
ways of functioning, and consideration of
environmental and social factors, can assist the
student to choose the most efficient way of
completing a task.
Independent Living Skills
Gaining life skills for independent living is an
essential part of a child’s growth and development.
Reduced vision may impact on independence normally
gained by imitation, experimentation and wide
experience. Planned sequential teaching, including
‘hands-on’ experiences in safe environments will
help to foster self-esteem and confidence. As the
child with VI may not generalise from one situation
to another, direct teaching and safe exploration is
likely to be beneficial in home, school and
community settings. Age-appropriate skills for
personal care, cooking and home management,
responsibility and organisation (including time
management and study skills) are issues to be taught
throughout schooling.
Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
Students with VI may require:
- planned exposure to a range and variety of experiences to interact with their environment – home, school and the community – from early childhood and continuing throughout schooling into adulthood
- teaching, by an O&M specialist, of specific skills that will assist in the development of independence in their environment
Orientation and Mobility promotes safe, efficient and independent travel in the environment. Orientation is the ability to learn about the body and the space it moves in. Orientation is dependent upon the gathering and interpretation of available sensory information. Mobility follows on as the capacity or facility of movement.
Recreation and Leisure
Students with VI may require planned support to
learn about and to access recreational and leisure
activities offered in their school and local
communities. Physical activity may be more difficult
and reduced, with slower speed and freedom.
Strategic teaching of specific skills can be taught
and practised with appropriate ‘hands-on’ support.
Sport and leisure activities with other sighted
peers, as well as those with VI, strengthen physical
health, fitness and wellbeing.
Self-Determination
From an early age students with VI need help to
develop age-appropriate understanding of their eye
condition and how it affects their daily function.
They need to learn how to answer questions from
peers. Later they need to learn to explain to
teachers, lecturers and potential employers their
vision needs and how they successfully use adaptive
technology and other strategies. Teacher-planned
opportunities to practise decision-making, and to
learn from experience, within the relative security
of the school environment, lay good foundations for
coping with the more complex demands of life beyond
school.
Social Skills
A diverse range of visual observations and
incidental social encounters play a key role in a
child’s and young person’s development of social
competence. So the student with VI is likely to
require planned teaching to promote social
understanding and the ability to interact with
others. This may include learning to interpret and
respond appropriately to conversations and
non-verbal communication occurring in various social
contexts. VI may limit students’ opportunities to
observe subtle factors such as body language,
gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal
information. Skills and strategies for play,
conversations, active listening, reciprocity and
friendship may need explicit teaching. Without
healthy social acceptance by peers and social
competence, a student with VI is at risk of
isolation.
Technology, including Adaptive Technology
Students with VI need to learn to be confident and
efficient users of mainstream technology. They may
also need to use adaptive technology to gain equal
access to the school curriculum and to work
independently. Assessment of individual needs and
systematic instruction is required to assist
students with VI to learn to integrate assistive
technology effectively into day to day learning
activities.
Items used may include:
- Large screen LCD monitors that reduce glare
- Screen magnification software such as MAGIC
- Computer/laptop enhancements to the appearance of applications using programs embedded in Windows or Apple operating systems
- Large letter, high contrast keyboards
- Closed circuit TV (CCTV) for magnification of text or objects displayed on a monitor screen
- Talking technologies such as: calculator, dictionary, scales, text reader software such as JAWS
