educational issues for sensory disabilities created by matt maurer, ph.d

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Educational Issues for Sensory Disabilities Created by Matt Maurer, Ph.D.

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Educational Issues for Sensory Disabilities

Created by Matt Maurer, Ph.D.

The Sensory Disabilities

Blind AKA Low vision Blind is a PC term

Deaf AKA Hearing

impaired AKA Hard of

hearing Deaf is a PC term

Organizing Concepts on Sensory Disabilities

The deficit model is strongest here

The disability is not tragic for most deaf or blind people, it is their “normal”

These disabilities have real limitations, AND they are minimal (think difficulty, not impossibility)

Blind Orienting Ideas

The blind comprise organizational joiners and non-joiners

The organized blind see themselves as an oppressed minority

Braille is their “print” medium

The blind tend to be technology “early adopters”

The Most Important Thing I Have Learned Working with Blind Children

Blind children do not want to be pitied

Blind children want to be like sighted peers

It is both easy and common to enable dependent behavior

Many developmentally delayed children are mislabeled MMH

Many blind children are very reflective

Kids are kids (talents are lurking there, and we must find them)

The Early Development of Blind Children

The process for a parent of a blind child is often much like death

Blind children are often asked to sit and wait

“Now, don’t touch,” can further disable

Literacy Issues for Blind Children

Braille is critical (level I and II)

Large print is over-used

Technology will replace Braille when we abandon reading altogether

Level I and II Braille

Talking books (Daisy standard)

Organizations Serving the Needs of Blind Children

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), parents divisions, and state affiliates

American Council of the Blind (ACB) and state affiliates

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH)

So What Should a Teacher Do?

Keep the mind active Remember they

“see” with their hands (keep those hands “looking”)

Continue to challenge our tendency to enable dependence

Maintain appropriately high expectations

Deaf Organizing Ideas

A strong Deaf community exists

There are community joiners and non-joiners

American Sign Language is their first language (English is their second!)

The deaf are also often technology early adopters

What I have Picked up about Deaf Children

They too want to be treated as equal to their hearing peers (in many ways)

English language is often delayed (ESL), causing misdiagnosis

Kids are kids – again, talents are abundant!

Early Development of Deaf Children

Deaf parents make a great difference (inclusion in Deaf culture)

Parental acceptance parallels those of blind children, but maybe not as severe

Some “sit and wait” parallels but again, maybe not as severe

Literacy Issues

“Speaking” one language and reading another

Parental denial can lead to late learning of ASL

Balance between ASL and English is often off

Organizations Serving the Needs of Deaf Children

National Organization of the Deaf (NAD)

The American Society for Deaf Children

Gallaudet University National Technical

Institute for the Deaf

So What Should a Teacher Do?

Learn ASL (as best you can!!)

Do not further enable

Support English a strong balance between “spoken” and written language

Focus on the child’s brilliance, not the deficit

A Final Reminder

The more they are different, the more kids are just kids.

Treat them like kids, not like disabled kids!!