The power of sight is the great power to behold. It’s with this power that we can observe our surroundings, respond to the stimuli and cherish the breathtaking sights in a great way. God has blessed us with two eyes to witness the world. But there are many who don’t have this power in equal capacity. There are many individuals who suffer from low eyesight problem and find life all the more difficult.

But these low vision problems should not deter their way to accomplishments. At Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan, our main belief is to not let an impairment hinder the joys and beauties of the life we hold on to.

There are times when regular eyeglasses are not of great help in bringing an improvement in the eyesight. At times, even medicines or surgery offers no respite. Such individuals having low vision are encouraged to utilise their remaining sight and be independent. Losing on vision is not about giving up but to rise continuously through finding new ways.

This was taught by Mrs. Manju Chamoli, the Head of Department, Autism and Activity Wing at Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) at a special teacher workshop. While presenting her lecture on how to work with people who are visually challenged, she opened the workshop session for teacher training with her expert knowledge on the visually impaired. The main purpose of this workshop was to educate the teachers with demo sessions and help them deal with students in a better way. Being the guiding light for all throughout the session, Mrs. Manju reflected upon her guidance on the topic that could propel a #WaveOfChange in every individual associated with MBCN.

Problems Discussed

Mrs. Manju talked about how low vision is resulted from eye diseases like glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration, retina pigmentation, Nystagmus, squint, rubella and diabetic retinopathy or eye injuries. In some cases, these problems can also result from a brain injury or albinism or eye cancer. She elaborated upon how children suffering from low vision have trouble picking up and matching colours and the light seems dimmer to them.

The highlight of the session was discussion on some of the common problems that are generally found in the children having a visual impairment. These include loss of central and peripheral vision, blurred vision, night blindness, extreme light sensitivity as well as hazy vision. While examining the low vision problem in a visually impaired child, doctors generally go through his /her medical history and conduct several tests to assess the exact condition that the child suffers through.

Suggested Changes and Actions

The workshop held at the special school for mentally retarded and physically challenged focussed upon how teachers can assess the functional vision of a differently-abled child who suffers from vision loss. They were taught to pay attention on the behaviour of the child and the quality of the objects used while carrying out an assessment of the child. They were also told to focus upon the attention and reach of the child along with tracking.

Equally important are the things like the maintaining and shifting of the gaze by that child when the fixation is changed or while finding an object, avoiding or identifying them while following path and matching size. The situations were demonstrated at the workshop to help the teachers gain first-hand knowledge of working with the special children.

The participants put up acts to note down the possible reactions of such a child while he / she tries to recognise actions, facial expressions, complex picture, abstract figures as well as matching numbers and words. The session highlighted some general facts on students with low vision that need to be taken care of. Also, the teachers were told to encourage their students to use their eyes for visual tasks too. They were also advised to do an activity with their students to teach them to shift focus while putting lesser strain on eyes.

Rights Based Approach                     

They were asked to develop a better understanding of a student with vision loss. For that, they were advised to get a good hold over their emotional needs and ability to communicate. A one-on-one interaction with the child is always favourable in getting to know the child personally. Being more observant and verbal to such children is also beneficial.

The guide came up with a few necessary suggestions for all classroom teachers to follow. For example, preferential seating arrangement with seats closer to the board was suggested for special children with low eyesight to reduce glare. Their teaching methodology could include big, black prints on white paper instead of Xerox copies. This could help them teach special children in a better way. An increased timeframe for them to complete assignments can improve their efficiency.

While giving tests to them, a deviation from the standard test format will be a great relief but grade charity is strictly not allowed. Little adjustments on every teacher’s part may work wonders for the visually challenged student. Based on this belief, MBCN serves as one-of-its-kind among a number of special schools for mentally challenged and physically impaired.

Videos were also shown at the workshop to both teachers and the support staff to lay emphasis upon the importance of being empathetic towards the differently-abled children. Whether it is about setting a table for them during mealtime or taking classroom sessions, emphasis was put on acting as a support system to the special children who need care and supervision.

Introducing Use of Optical Devices

The participants were encouraged to use the optical devices in order to make the most of the available vision in a child. They were told about instruments like glasses, magnifiers, loupes and electronic reading aids that can be used to read texts in a magnified form. There are magnifiers that come in different shapes and sizes to magnify objects. Now-a-days, electronic readers are also available, and these are portable enough to serve as an alternative with their text-to-speech functionality.

Guiding them throughout to be more adjusting, flexible and loving with the children having special needs, the workshop was a great success in its way of preparing such teachers who could be the #WaveRiders of development and prosperity.