More than half of children with visual impairments also have additional disabilities. That means teachers of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility instructors must go into the field prepared to encounter enormous diversity among the students on their caseloads in addition to all the typical types present in any group of school children like English language learners, ethnic minorities, and those from dysfunctional family backgrounds. These professionals will be expected to provide effective instruction to visually impaired children who also have autism spectrum disorders, specific learning disabilities, hearing loss (deafblindness), physical impairments like cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities resulting from genetic conditions or prematurity, ADD/ADHD, orthopedic impairments that require them to travel in wheelchairs or walkers, health conditions that affect their energy level like seizure syndromes, emotional disorders resulting in anxiety issues or aggressive problem behaviors,
All of a student’s characteristics are pieces forming a whole and each one influences how that individual interacts with the world. Moreover, the additional disabilities, when combined with impaired vision or blindness, have a tremendous impact on how the student learns and the interventions that will be most appropriate for them. For example, deafblind students will need to be given materials and taught strategies that rely on tactile information and alternative communication methods to substitute for missing sensory cues. A student with autism may require an object-based schedule with real, concrete items to represent each activity, rather than one with pictures or words that lets them know what to expect throw-out their day. A student whose medication makes them more tired in mornings than in afternoons would learn and perform better during orientation and mobility scheduled for the end of the school day, instead of the beginning. A student with an intellectual disability may need simplified, concise directions for tasks given verbally and be expected to rephrase them afterward to ensure understanding. They may also benefit from short step-by-step task analyses in braille or large print to have with them when practicing independent living activities. All of these supports implemented to ensure a successful instructional experience require that the teacher in question knows and understands the various factors impacting their student and has taken time to get to know them as an individual.
Check out Paths to Literacy to discover instructional strategies for VI kids with multiple disabilities.