Ebenezer School | 心光學校


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					08:03		Wednesday, January 07, 2009

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	Definition of Low Vision
	People who have uncorrectable sight loss but who are not totally blind are said to have low vision. In Hong Kong, visual impairments are defined into two broad categories: blindness and low vision. Blindness refers to no visual function, i.e., no light perception. Low vision is again categorized into three subgroups: severe low vision, moderate low vision and mild low vision. If a person’s visual field is less than 20, he/she is also considered as having low vision.


	Effect of Low Vision on students
	1. For many students with low vision, everything may be seen as a vague blur. Some may see a patchwork of blank and defined areas. Others may have no central vision or no vision to the sides. 2. Teachers should be aware that individuals with low vision have unique preference to illumination but most of them are sensitvie to glare. 3. Students with low vision cannot endure long period of intense visual task. They will easily get fatigue, headache or even tearing.


		Low Vision Sudents cannot attend to close work for a long period.

	Common causes of Visual Impairment in students with Low Vision

	* Retinopathy * Glaucoma * Cataracts * Optic Atrophy * Coloboma * Tumour * Cortical Visual Impairment * Accident * Hereditary syndrome

	The Low Vision Training Programme
	Since the 1960s, extensive research in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, has found that with appropriate sequential visual stimulation activities, children with low vision can develop his/her limited visual ability to the highest potential. The low vision training programme in Ebenezer School for the Blind started in 1979. It has grown from an experimental programme to a well-developed programme since then. The programme at present consists of 4 stages: The Pre-training Programme 　　　Before a training programme can be planned there must be an assessment of how well the child can see. The pre-training programme is the initial testing of low vision children from an education point of view. From the result of the test and the teacher's observation, an individual training programme can be designed. The assessment can be divided into two parts: (1) First, the teacher will observe the child's visual performance during class and in daily living activities and fill in an observation checklist of the visual performance of the child. (2) Visual functioning Assessment * Visual awareness as to stimulation of light and objects * Naming of familiar objects and models * Discrimination of 3D objects, models and shapes * Matching of 3D objects, models and shapes * Identification of objects and shapes as shown in pictures * Identification of objects by critical features from incomplete pictures * Naming and describing drawings in pictures and photographs * Identification of facial expressions and body postures * Naming and discrimination of colours * Hand-eye coordination


	1. Hand-eye coordination	2. Discrimination of 3D objects

	The Basic Training Programme
	The aim of the basic training programme is to provide appropriate visual stimulating activities which will help the child develop his/her limited visual ability to the highest potential. Suggested activities:
	* Activities to develop eye muscle control, to facilitate fixation, tracking, focus and accommodation as well as adaptation to different visual environment. * Activities to promote recognition, identification and discrimination of geometric shapes. * Activities to develop discrimination of abstract patterns. * Activities to promote understanding of pictures. * Activities to develop visual memory. * Activities to develop colour discrimination and colour naming * Activities to develop hand-eye coordination
	Tracking moving targets Matching shapes Learning to see pictures with a light box

	The Reading and Writing Programme
	The aim of the reading and writing programme is to develop special skills in reading and writing to eliminate problems caused by visual impairment and to increase speed of reading which is always a handicap of the low-vision. Learning to use various optical and non-optical aids such as a close-circuit television (CCTV) is also part of the reading and writing programme. Suggested activities:
	* Activities to promote association of word symbols with object and action pictures * Activities to promote discrimination, recognition and identification of individual letter and word symbols * Activities to increase reading speed * Pre-writing training * Print writing * Cursive writing * Order of strokes in Chinese writing * Use of optical and non-optical aids
	Learning Chinese characters	Reading with a magnifier
	Exercise in order of strokes	Reading with a CCTV

	The Follow-up Programme
	The follow-up programme usually contains counselling or short courses to help pupils in the senior grades to tackle problems such as deterioration of vision or psychological adjustment. Services include catering for visual conditions, preparation for inclusive education and counselling in various aspects concerning low vision.