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Dave MontrealCan - Good evening, welcome to the session.
Dave MontrealCan - I was mainstreamed from K through University as a sight impaired student.
Dave MontrealCan - I started Kindergarten in 1972 and it was quite a struggle for my parents to keep me in the regular school system at that time.
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy I have just under 10% vision in my left eye and am totally blind in the right eye
Dave MontrealCan - You may ask me any questions you wish I am always pleased to help others to understand
Dave MontrealCan - I am currently working on a resource manual for classroom teachers on how to better assist a sight impaired child in their classroom.
Dave MontrealCan - Have you ever had a sight impaired student in any of your classes?
daisy - no
daisy - some with glasses but usually their vision was ok with them
Number404 - daisy, I was a volunteer reader at the Ohio State University.
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy it would be a wonderful experience many sight impaired student tend to work very hard because they want to do well and they know it is a challenge for them so they will mostly always put in an extra effort
Number404 - Dave, my dad injured his good eye a month ago. (He is blind in the other eye.) So far he does not have site back at all in the good one, but the doctor said it should at least improve some.
daisy - I have worked some with students with dyslexia and I have noticed the same thing
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy I have appreciated so much the fact that many teachers care about inclusion in their classrooms it is so important and I want to make it easier for the sight impaired children who are now in school so they will not have to go through what i went through as a student
daisy - all our students need to be successful.
daisy - We have to go the extra mile to ensure that
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy you will be a devoted teacher I can tell
daisy - thanks.
Number404 - daisy, I agree with you on going the extra mile.
Dave MontrealCan - 404 I think it must have been very rewarding for you to work with the sight impaired when you were reading to them?
Number 404 - dave, yes, and it helped me with my studies. I usually read for someone who was taking the same course as I was.
Dave MontrealCan - You can do so many things to encourage active participation in the classroom by sight impaired students these children need to be able to be drawn out and share their feelings and be more verbal
Number 404 - I am in touch with one of the people I used to read for. She is a counselor at a university in Texas. She works with students with disabilities to make sure they have what adaptations they need in their dorms.
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy also you need to as a teacher be able to spot if the sight impaired child is feeling left out or is not participating as they could be freely, a good idea would be to take a sight impaired student aside sometimes and just ask them how things are going and let them know you care as a teacher and want to see them succeed in your classroom and that you want to ensure they are comfortable in your class as well
daisy - ok but I would do this with any of my students.
daisy - If I see they were having problems
daisy - Do you consider yourself to have a learning disability or a seeing disability?
Dave MontrealCan - If you are reading a story in the classroom to the children you may want to have soft toys as the characters in the story there for the sight impaired children to hold and even some scents to make the story come alive for these children.
daisy - That is a good idea
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy I actually do not even consider myself as having a disability as I have overcome many obstacles and lead a pretty good life with the adaptive devices I have here to assist me
daisy - How can I show my students that it is possible to be successful and independent like you are.
Number 404 - daisy, and Dave plays miniature golf better than I do.
daisy - Also if I say something or ask something that hurts your feeling will you tell me?
daisy - I have had mainstreaming, but they do not focus on individual disabilities
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy the best way is to always encourage them if they are sight impaired to be anything they want to be always tell them that they can do it also for the children who are not sight impaired to learn about how sight impaired people can succeed it may be a good idea to invite a sight impaired person into your classroom to talk to the children about what it is actually like to be sight impaired and let the children ask questions and talk about it
daisy - Just basics. Seat them towards the front of the room, allow them more time to answer questions, give them more time on tests, etc..
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy yes sometimes a sight impaired student may need to change seats depending on the time of day if they are using a telescope to read notes off the blackboard they may find there is a glare effect at a certain time of day and may request a seating change sometimes if you have shades or curtains in your classroom it may be a good idea to draw them so the glare from the sun does not shine on the board
Number 404 - daisy, the readers like me got handouts before the rest of the class did. That way if we were going to do some sort of lab in class, my students heard the material in advance and did not have to worry as much about someone reading it to them during class.
daisy - Do they have readers in elementary school?
Number 404 - daisy, I do not know.
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy they have teacher aids who shadow sight impaired students and help the teacher
daisy - What about the student who is not legally blind but just has bad vision
daisy - The ones that have problems in class but are not severe enough to get the help they need?
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy for those students again it depends on their specific needs in many cases they will come to your classroom already equipped with the adaptive devices they need to succeed
daisy - Or have not been diagnosed?
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy sometimes the school discovers that an individual student has problems at which point they usually write a note to the parents explaining that their child may need adaptive devices
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy also many students who are mainstreamed usually have an itinerant or resource teacher who is assigned to that student from one of the associations for the blind
daisy - What I have found in student teaching and subbing is that until the student is two grade levels behind the class, he gets no outside help. The resource teachers are so backed up that it takes at least 3 weeks to get an appointment
Dave MontrealCan - http://www.acb.org
Mr.C - Is there an opinion regarding which is the best software for the visually impaired (snapdragon, etc.). How about freeware, shareware... and or other resources for not just visually, but also hearing impaired etc. Thanks for the acb.org reference Dave.
daisy - This diagnosis system in California is really bad.
daisy - By the time the paperwork gets done and the regular teacher has tried some intervention, the student goes off track
Dave MontrealCan - Mr. C window eyes is also a good program for the sight impaired student.
daisy - I realize that this is only for visually impaired, but the same system is used for all the students
Dave MontrealCan - Daisy it can also be like that here in the province of Quebec unfortunately with cutbacks in the system that make it very difficult these days
daisy - ok thanks. I will catch you all later
Mr.C - I was looking at Window Eyes and bookmarking it.... check out: http://www.nanopac.com/WindowEyes.htm
Dave MontrealCan - Mr. C also here is a toll free number you can call from the American council of the blind 1 800 424 8666 and you can ask about this info as well
garf/sped/ga - Why do you use the word sight impaired??
Magoo - Dave, does 'sight imp.' mean from totally blind (w/cane or dog) to those who are 'legally blind' --maybe can see but things are really furry??
garf/sped/ga - I always hated that when teachers used to refer to students of mine of being in the sight impaired class or getting help from the sight impaired teacher.
Dave MontrealCan - Garf I guess i have found it to be the best way to describe someone who has some eyesight
garf/sped/ga - cant you use visually impaired?
Mr.C - Dave, are you sight impaired (guessing)?
garf/sped/ga - better be careful with those NFBers
Dave MontrealCan - Garf yes I am actually visually impaired myself and was mainstreamed from K through University
Magoo - what is an NFBer???
Dave MontrealCan - Magoo sight impaired would mean the individual has some eyesight as opposed to totally blind as in partially sighted
garf/sped/ga - member of the National Federation of the Blind
Mr.C - Ooops... sorry, I couldn't tell by looking at you
Magoo - okay, Dave, so--my own personal L eye is really furry now due to a macular flap (doesn't that sound disgusting!), so then would you say I am sight impaired in that eye?? Just trying to get the concept, here.
Dave MontrealCan - Magoo yes if you are having difficulty seeing out of that eye you would be considered sight or visually impaired
Magoo - I can see colors, but everything is REALLY fuzzy..........
Dave MontrealCan - Well it is 10 pm so I would like to thank Teachers.net very much for allowing me to have this session and I hope it has helped all of you
Mr.C - Thanks Dave, I appreciate your help.
Magoo - Dave, my HUNKY, (((hugs))) to you too, dearheart!!! Talk to you soon!!
Dave MontrealCan - Magoo you are still subbing though
Magoo - Dave, oh, yes, the R eye is okay still.........and I no longer drive at night, ever
Dave MontrealCan - Ok I am also off to room 1 see everyone there.
