Visual Sensory Impairments - Issues Related to Inclusion

In most schools, integration and special classes are made available to students with visual impairments, but the needs of individual students, at a particular point in their educational career, have been, and always will, be the deciding factor. In recent years, there has been a shift from segregated residential schools to inclusive neighbourhood schools for individuals with severe visual disabilities, because of the emphasis on inclusion in the classroom. However, some educators contend that short-term placement in residential schools is a feasible solution to some difficulties that may be experienced by the student. Most school districts make a large range of placement options available, which can include self-contained programs, resource rooms, and EA’s. Sometimes, a Specialist Teacher will travel from school to school, within the school board, to offer special instructions to students, including to those in special programs.

Many students who are totally blind are integrated into general classrooms at all grade levels. Most arguments against inclusion are based on balancing the needs of all students, including the ones without exceptionalities, but because of the successful history of integration, those arguments are mostly invalid. Some of the critics of integration also worry about a student’s restricted mobility, social interactions and activities of daily learning, and isolation. A resource room can have a central role in their educational setting.  This can be the type of environment that the student may need, while still allowing for a high degree of classroom integration. Specialized placement can be used for students whose vision problems are quite seriously disabling, in an entirely self-contained classroom.  These environments can provide students with certain types of specialized instruction related to their blindness, and students usually strive in these conditions because of a low student-to-teacher ratio.

There are many assistive technology options that students will use inside and outside of the classroom, some of them include:

·         Braille (cells of from one to six raised dots on paper that represent the letters of the alphabet)

·         Computer-Assisted technology (programs installed onto computers that help the student with communication)

·         Optical aids (large print materials, embossed rulers, braille watches, 3D maps, special lighting, etc.)

        ·         Mobility assists (long canes, guide dogs and electronic devices


Winzer, M. (2008). Children with Exceptionalities in Canadian Classrooms (8th ed.).
Toronto, Canada: Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 359 – 389.

Bennett, S., Dworet, D., & Weber, K. (2008). Special Education in Ontario Schools (6th ed.). St. Davids, Ontario: Highland Press, pp. 210 - 211