Sensory, Severe, and Multiple Disabilities
IDEA Definition:
Hearing impairment
An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section.
Multiple disabilities:
concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness or mental retardation-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf-blindness
Deaf-blindness:
concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section.
Multiple disabilities:
concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness or mental retardation-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf-blindness
Deaf-blindness:
concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E8,
Characteristics:
Hearing Symptoms
Visual Symptoms
- Difficulty Following verbal directions
- Difficulty with oral expression
- Some difficulties with social/emotional or interpersonal skills
- Will often have a degree of language delay
- Often follors and rarely leads
- Will usually exhibits some form of articulations difficulty
- Can become easily frustrated if their need are not met which will lead to some behavioral difficulties
- Sometimes that use of hearing aids leads to embarrassment and fear of rejection form peers and bullying
Hearing Symptoms
- Muffling of speech and other sounds
- Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd of people
- Trouble hearing constance
- Frequently asking others to speak more slowly, clearly and/or loudly
- Needing to turn up the volume of radio or TV
- Withdrawal from conversations
- Avoidence of some social settings
- Lethorgy
- Ear infections
- Ear aches/tinnitus
- Mouth Breathing
Visual Symptoms
- Sqinting
- Holding book awkward
- Head aches
- Rubbing of eyes
- Have watery/ ichty eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Tilting of head while reading
- Poor penmanship
- Poor hand eye corrdination.
Strategies and Resources:
Lectures and Other Teaching Sessions for Hearing Impaired Students
How Visual Disabilities may affect student participation
Helpful strategies for instructing students with Visual Disabilities
Information Provided by:
"EDUC 2010" Fall 2015
Lectures and Other Teaching Sessions for Hearing Impaired Students
- Keep instuctions brief and uncomplicated, repeat instructions, and without paraphrasing.
- Clearly define course requirements, the dates of exams, and when assignments are due.
- Present lecture info in a visual format (e.g. whiteboard, Powerpoint, Prezi, handouts, etc.).
- Use more than one way to demonstrate or explain information.
- Make instructional on-line course materials available in text form.
- Repeat the comments and questions of other students.
- When appropriate, ask for hearing volunteer to team up with a student who is deaf or hard of hearing for in-class assignments.
- If possible, provide transcripts fo audio information.
- Allow serveral moments for oral responses in class discussions.
- In small group discussions, allow for participation by students with hearing impairments
- Face the class while speaking, if an interpreter is present make sure the student can see both you and the interpreter.
- If there is a break in the class, get the attention of the student who is deaf of hard of hearing before resuming class.
- Use Caption videos and other visual aids as instructional tools.
- Be flexible: allow a student who is deaf to work with audiovisual materials independently and for a longer period of time.
- Assist the student with finding an effective note-taker from the class.
- Provide handouts in advance of lectures.
- Ensure key notices (cancellations or re-scheduled classes) that are announced in ways in class that are accessible to students that are deaf or hearing impaired.
- Circular seating arrangements offer students who are deaf or hard of hearing the best advantage for seeing all the class.
How Visual Disabilities may affect student participation
- With the use of adaptive technology and supports, students with visual disabilities can be as capable and efficient as their peers who rely on sight.
- The student may take more time to read in-class handouts and may need adaptive equipment.
- The student should be able to do written in-class exercises if the material provided is in accessible formats.
- The student may need to view the work closely in order to read handouts. Large print may be required.
- The student may rely on audio versions of all printed material or handouts; or the student may need to access assistive technology.
Helpful strategies for instructing students with Visual Disabilities
- Assume that the student has adequate social skills and rapport building techniquies that will enable the student to be as effective, confident and competent as his or her peers.
- Try to limit external and internal noise by closing doors and/or windows.
- Oral reading is encouraged over silent reading.
- While using PowerPoint, overheads, or a writing board, verbally describe what is being presented and provide students with a hard copy. Also, consider using colored markers on a clean chalkboard for increased contrast.
- Try to include the student in class discussions.
- When calling on the student with visual impairment, always use the student's name.
- Try to avoid lecturing in fron of bright windows as it tends to be distracting.
- Provide reading lists as soon as possible.
- students with visual impairments may need preferential seating since they depend upon listening. Since they may want the same anonymity as other students, it is important that you avoid pointing out the student or alternative arrangements to others in the class.
- Exam accomodations, which may include adaptive technology, a reader/scribe and extra time, a computer, closed circuit TV (CCTV), Braille, enlargements, tapes, and/or image enhanced materials, may be needed. Coordinate these arrangements with The Office for Disability Services (ODS).
- You may also ask the student if he/she would like an orientation to the physical layout of the room with locations of steps, furniture, lecture position, low-hanging objects or any other obstacles.
- Although it is unnecessary to rewrite the entire course, you can help a visually impaired student by avoiding phrases such as "Look at this" and Examine that," while pointing to an overhead projection. Use decriptive language. Repeat alout what is written on an overhead or chalkboard.
- These students may need a lab assistant or lab partner in lab classes. Assist the student in finding an assistant.
- Have copies of the syllabus and readignassignments ready three to five weeks prior to the beginning of classes. Students with visual impairments will likely need all print material in alternative format which means that they need print material converted to audio tapes, scanned onto disks, Braille, enlarged or image enhanced. Conversion of materials takes time. It is important that they have access to class materials at the same time as others in your class. Coordinate alternative format with ODS.
- Keep in mind that guide dogs are working animals. They must be allowed in all classes. Do not feed or pet a guide dog. Since they are working, they should not be distracted.
- A meeting with the student is essential to facilitate the arrangements of accomodations and auxiliary aids which may include, in addition to exam accommodations, access to class notes and/or the taping of lectures; print material in alternative format; a script with verbal descriptions of videos or slides, charts, and graphs, or other such visual depctions converted to tactile representations.
Information Provided by:
"EDUC 2010" Fall 2015
Works Cited (APA):
1. Hardman, Michael L., Clifford J. Drew, M. Winston Egan. (2014). Sensory Disabilities: Hearing and Vision Loss. In L. Ganster, M.Kerr, L. Mafrici, K. Radomski, G. Lindquist, E. Momb (Eds.), Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family (pp. 316-359). Canada: Nelson Education, Ltd.
2. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, September 03). Diseases and Conditions Hearing Loss: Symptoms. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/basics/symptoms/con-20027684
3. Ferris State University Disabilities Services. (n.d.). Teaching Strategies for Hearing Impaired Students. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/university/disability/faculty-staff/classroom-issues/hearing/hearing-strategy.htm
4. Watson, Sue. Deafness and Hearing Loss. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://specialed.about.com/od/disabilities/a/deaf.htm
5. (2015, July 24). Hearing Disabilities: How hearing loss may affect student participation. Retrieved November 22, 2015 from http://www.ccri.edu/dss/sensory.html#Helpful_strategies_for_instructing_students_with_V isual_Disabilities
6. Carlton, Patricia and Jennifer Hertzfeld. (n.d.) Teaching Students with Sensory Impairments. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Sensory_Impairments.htm
1. Hardman, Michael L., Clifford J. Drew, M. Winston Egan. (2014). Sensory Disabilities: Hearing and Vision Loss. In L. Ganster, M.Kerr, L. Mafrici, K. Radomski, G. Lindquist, E. Momb (Eds.), Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family (pp. 316-359). Canada: Nelson Education, Ltd.
2. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, September 03). Diseases and Conditions Hearing Loss: Symptoms. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/basics/symptoms/con-20027684
3. Ferris State University Disabilities Services. (n.d.). Teaching Strategies for Hearing Impaired Students. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/university/disability/faculty-staff/classroom-issues/hearing/hearing-strategy.htm
4. Watson, Sue. Deafness and Hearing Loss. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://specialed.about.com/od/disabilities/a/deaf.htm
5. (2015, July 24). Hearing Disabilities: How hearing loss may affect student participation. Retrieved November 22, 2015 from http://www.ccri.edu/dss/sensory.html#Helpful_strategies_for_instructing_students_with_V isual_Disabilities
6. Carlton, Patricia and Jennifer Hertzfeld. (n.d.) Teaching Students with Sensory Impairments. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Sensory_Impairments.htm