Blindness and education
Encyclopedia
The subject of blindness and education has included evolving approaches and public perceptions of how best to address the special needs of blind students. The practice of institutionalizing the blind
in asylums has a history extending back over a thousand years, but it was not until the 18th century that authorities created schools for them where blind children, particularly those more privileged, were usually educated in such specialized settings. These institutions provided simple vocational and adaptive training, as well as grounding in academic subjects offered through alternative formats. Literature, for example, was being made available to blind students by way of embossed Roman letters.
(c. 2040-1640 BCE) blind harpists
are depicted on tomb walls. They were not exclusively interested in the causes and cures for blindness but also the social care of the individual.
By this time, reading codes - chiefly Braille
and New York Point
- had gained favor among educators of embossed letters proved difficult to learn and cumbersome to use, and so (DOT CODES) were either newly created or imported from well-established schools in Europe. Though New York Point was widely accepted for a time, Braille has since emerged the victor in what some blindness historians have dubbed “the War of the Dots.”
The more respected residential schools were staffed by competent teachers who kept abreast of the latest developments in educational theory. While some of their methods seem archaic by today’s standards - particularly where their Vocational Training options are concerned - their efforts did pave the way for the education and integration of blind students in the 20th century.
Blind children may also need special training in understanding spatial concepts, and in self-care, as they are often unable to learn visually and through imitation as other children do. Moreover, home economics
and education dealing with anatomy
are necessary for children with severe visual impairments.
Since only ten percent of those registered as legally blind have no usable vision
, many students are also taught to use their remaining sight to maximum effect, so that some read print (with or without optical aids) and travel without canes.
A combination of necessary training tailored to the unique needs of each student, and solid academics, is going a long way towards producing blind and visually impaired students capable of dealing with the world independently.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in asylums has a history extending back over a thousand years, but it was not until the 18th century that authorities created schools for them where blind children, particularly those more privileged, were usually educated in such specialized settings. These institutions provided simple vocational and adaptive training, as well as grounding in academic subjects offered through alternative formats. Literature, for example, was being made available to blind students by way of embossed Roman letters.
Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptians were the first civilisation to display an interest in the causes and cures for disabilities and during some periods blind people are recorded as representing a substantial portion of the poets and musicians in society. In the Middle KingdomMiddle Kingdom of Egypt
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty, between 2055 BC and 1650 BC, although some writers include the Thirteenth and Fourteenth dynasties in the Second Intermediate...
(c. 2040-1640 BCE) blind harpists
Harper's Songs
"Harper's Songs" are Ancient Egyptian texts that originated in tomb inscriptions of the Middle Kingdom which in the main praise life after death and were often used in funerary contexts...
are depicted on tomb walls. They were not exclusively interested in the causes and cures for blindness but also the social care of the individual.
19th century
The 1880s saw the introduction of compulsory elementary education for the Blind throughout the United States. (However, most states of the United States did not pass laws specifically making elementary education compulsory for the blind until after 1900.) Britain followed suit in 1893, by passing the Elementary Education Act. This act ensured that Blind people up to the age of 16 years were entitled to an Elementary-Level Education as well as to Vocational Training.By this time, reading codes - chiefly Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
and New York Point
New York Point
New York Point is a system of writing for the blind invented by William Bell Wait , a teacher in the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. The system used three bases of equidistant points arranged in two horizontal lines with one, two, three or four points in each line...
- had gained favor among educators of embossed letters proved difficult to learn and cumbersome to use, and so (DOT CODES) were either newly created or imported from well-established schools in Europe. Though New York Point was widely accepted for a time, Braille has since emerged the victor in what some blindness historians have dubbed “the War of the Dots.”
The more respected residential schools were staffed by competent teachers who kept abreast of the latest developments in educational theory. While some of their methods seem archaic by today’s standards - particularly where their Vocational Training options are concerned - their efforts did pave the way for the education and integration of blind students in the 20th century.
20th century
The early 20th century saw a handful of blind students enrolled in their neighbourhood schools, with special educational supports. Most still attended residential institutions, but that number dropped steadily as the years wore on - especially after the white cane was adopted into common use as a mobility tool and symbol of blindness in the 1930s.21st century
Most blind and visually impaired students now attend their neighbourhood schools, often aided in their educational pursuits by regular teachers of academics and by a team of professionals who train them in alternative skills: Orientation and Mobility (O and M) training - instruction in independent travel - is usually taught by contractors educated in that area, as is Braille.Blind children may also need special training in understanding spatial concepts, and in self-care, as they are often unable to learn visually and through imitation as other children do. Moreover, home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
and education dealing with anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
are necessary for children with severe visual impairments.
Since only ten percent of those registered as legally blind have no usable vision
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
, many students are also taught to use their remaining sight to maximum effect, so that some read print (with or without optical aids) and travel without canes.
A combination of necessary training tailored to the unique needs of each student, and solid academics, is going a long way towards producing blind and visually impaired students capable of dealing with the world independently.
See also
:Category:Blindness organizations- Braille musicBraille musicBraille music is a Braille code that allows music to be notated using Braille cells so that music can be read by visually impaired musicians. The Braille music system was originally developed by Louis Braille....
- Nico (also known as Nicholas)Nico (TV series)Nico was a 2001 Spanish animated television series produced by BRB Internacional and the National Organization of the Spanish Blind about the title character, Nico; a boy that is blind...
, a TV series for educating children about blind people (considering television a sort of literature) - Thérèse-Adèle HussonThérèse-Adèle HussonBorn into an upper-middle class family in 1803, Thérèse-Adèle Husson was a French writer in the post-Revolutionary period. At the age of nine months, she became blind as a result of smallpox, but this did not stop her from writing more than a dozen children's novels...
External links
- Blindness Information Site from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- History of Reading Codes for the Blind - Dated but useful article on the history