Visual Impairment

Visual Impairment

Most visual problems are the result of errors of refraction. That is because of faulty structure is a malfunction in the eye that can decrease the visual acuity. The light rays are not focused correctly. The most common visual problems are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism (blurred vision). These condition  can usually be corrected with glasses. Some other problems like disease can even cause blindness.

The educational definition says that the blind are those who need to be taught to read Braille or aural methods. And the partially alighted are those who still can read print even though they need to use magnifying devices or books with large print.

The conceptual abilities of blind children are different are different from those of the sighted children. The sighted children are able to organize a number of elements into a whole from the various parts by all their senses. The blind children or the visually impaired children, on the contrary, have to learn about the world by the tactual mode. So the most important ability for them is mobility and orientation. These two things can be achieved when the children have high motivation, proper attitude and learning experiences.

            Education experiences in the classroom are frequently visual in nature. But with some modification in methods, the principles of teaching can be applied to both sighted reading and big letter print or magnifying glasses may be necessary for them. Moreover nowadays these has been a dramatic increase in some special electronic device that can be used for teaching the blind; such as opfacon, Kurzweil reading machine, and talking calculator

Dari Mata Kuliah bhs. Inggris oleh bapak drs.Gunarhadi, MA, Ph.D