EPSE 320 - Learning Response 3 PDF

Preview

Summary

Learning Response #3. Describing Inclusion for students who are blind and visually impaired. Teacher resources with links and descriptions....

Description

Learning Response 3 For this learning response, I chose to do activity number 3. Namely, I decided to make my bed and fold my clothes while blindfolded. While I performed both of these tasks in my own room, which I am quite familiar with, I nevertheless asked my brother to spot me to make sure I do not walk into a wall or stub my toe, especially when making my bed. I started by tidying my bedsheet, and as I was blindfolded, I had to glide my hand over the sheet to make sure that it was completely flat and even on the mattress. With the bed cover, I first had to try to find the longer side of the blanket using my hands, which meant that I had to turn it around a few times before I finally figured out which side was longer. I then had to make sure that it was covering the entire bed, and that it is flat and even the same way I did with the bedsheet. The biggest challenge during this entire process was to avoid stubbing my toes as I moved around my bed. Even though my brother guided me in leaving a lot of space between myself and the bed as I moved around it, the thought of accidentally stubbing my toe was nevertheless in my head during the entire process. I then moved on to folding my clothes which came with its own challenges. I first had to figure out which side of each piece of clothing was the front or the back. I did this by feeling for which side the pockets are on, or by feeling for any labels which are usually on the back-side. In a few cases where the shirt had no labels, I had to feel around the neckline to find out which side was the front. Folding the clothes was not much harder than usual thanks to muscle memory, and I mainly just had to be slightly more tactile in making sure that I was folding each item symmetrically and evenly. After folding everything, I tried to place everything in its right place in the closet, and I asked my

brother to only intervene if he was certain that I was going to hit something. I had my clothes in one hand and the other hand in front of me to make sure I do not walk into anything and to also help me find and open the closet. Since I am quite familiar with the layout of my room, I was able to locate my closet by moving my hand from side to side to see where my bed and desk were relative to me, and then make my way to my closet from there. I had to repeat this process a few times to put back everything, and each time was ever so slightly easier. One thing that crossed my mind after completing these activities was that, even though I was blindfolded during the entire process, I still did not have to worry about certain things that individuals who are blind or visually impaired have to worry about. For example, I did not have to worry about any objects lying on the ground since I usually keep my room organized and had also seen my room just before I was blindfolded. For these reasons, moving around my room was not as worrisome for me as it might be for a person who is blind or visually impaired, especially when considering that children often leave their toys and other objects on the ground. During this activity, mobility skills (i.e. being able to move around the room safely and independently without sight) would have certainly been useful. Additionally, even though I already knew how to make my bed and fold my clothes from having observed others in the past, I felt like there were ways I could become more proficient in performing those tasks without vision. Even though I already considered the skills taught as a part of the expanded core curriculum to be quite important for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, this activity helped me better understand why they are rather essential. The expanded core curriculum includes numerous extremely useful skills - such as those

related to orientation and mobility - which are meant to make navigating a world designed for individuals who are sighted easier for children who are blind or visually impaired. Additionally, the expanded core curriculum also includes skills that children who are not visually impaired have learned by observing others, yet unfortunately, individuals who are blind or visually impaired might have missed out on learning them. Therefore, assessing the level of proficiency of children who are blind or visually impaired in these areas and providing direct instructions on these skills could make living independently and performing day-to-day tasks significantly easier....