research paper on characteristics of students with blindness and visual impairments. Needs to be 7 pages.

Need an research paper on characteristics of students with blindness and visual impairments. Needs to be 7 pages. Please no plagiarism. By participating in simulation projects, in which the instructor is given a chance to experience to a small extent what low vision might be like, a greater understanding of these learning challenges can be acquired leading to more effective use of teaching strategies geared specifically toward these children’s needs.

To adequately discuss the issue of vision impairment, it is first critical to understand a couple of definitions. Vision impairment can be defined as “the reduced vision caused by eye disease, accident or eye condition present from birth” (Low Vision Online, 2008). Through such various treatments and corrective measures as eye-glasses, contacts, or surgeries, vision can be improved for many people with vision impairment. It is reported that as many as 80 percent of visually impaired people are officially classified as having ‘low vision’, meaning they can benefit from these types of services. “Low vision is significantly reduced vision, that is, visual acuity is less (worse) than 6/18 (20/60) in the better eye or visual fields are less than 20 degrees in diameter” (Low Vision, 2008). According to this source, people with low vision are able to use their visual acuity for learning about the visual aspects of their world and for doing tasks that require vision, but even with treatment, glasses, or lenses, they cannot be corrected to ‘normal.’ The IDEA Amendments of 1997 define children with visual impairment as those who have “visual impairments which even with correction, adversely affects… educational performance.” This is a slightly different means of defining vision impairment, focusing primarily upon what the child cannot do as opposed to identification of the various abilities and disabilities. When an individual is only capable of learning about their world through tactile or auditory channels, despite all attempts to correct vision impairments, they are considered blind Corn & Koenig, 1996).

Some students with visual impairments require hands-on learning experiences through their educational program in order to make sense of concepts and strategies for instructions that are more abstract. Often, the only way that students can learn new skills is through repetitive learning. For example, students who have visual impairments and exhibit cognitive delays may be taught a specific route to the cafeteria. Any change in route may confuse the student. Students with visual impairment typically exhibit short attention spans and become easily distracted.