Blog Post #12

When it comes to blind people in society, people do not really sometimes take into account the amount of effort it takes for a child trying to learn with such a disability. Many a times, we forget how blessed we truly are. For people who are blind, their method of thinking is different. In the sense that, the way they have to learn is void of any visual aspect. They rely primarily on their other senses to learn. A good thing in our society to help them to learn is Assistive Technology. Assistive Technology is any device used to aid a person with a disability, and this can be in the form of technology or objects.

According to blindness.org, there are so many resources available for mobility and orientation. They have a brochure that gives a whole list of sighted guided techniques, Night Vision Aids, Driving Alternatives, Dog Guide Schools, and The White Cane. This site provides information on the different eye disorders that affect sight and health options available to fix them. According to the site, sighted guide technique refers to a method by which a visually impaired person and a sighted person can walk together safely and comfortably. There are night vision aids that help people who are not able to see at night. It is not that they are blind, but they are blind once the sun goes down, so aid is available for them. There are driving alternatives, and dog guide schools for the visually impaired.

For the visually impaired, an assistive technology is the Mountbatten Braille Writer. It's used for struggling learners. It gives its users audio and tactile feedback. It produces braille, and announces what's being brailled. Whatever they do on the machine, it gets converted to print and then it gets transferred to a computer. This technology allows for the students a chance to be able to keep up in a regular classroom when they have assignments. Another assistive technology for the blind is made by Professor Art Karshmer from the University of San Francisco School of Management. He built this device for math device for the visually impaired. The way the device works is that it uses small blocks that are scanned into a computer for verbal identification and placed on a bridge. The blocks have braille on them so that the basic math problems can be lined up, the way we normally see them in order to do basic math problems. This enables them to be educated on their basic math, and makes it easier to do their math problems.

As an educator, these assistive technologies can be useful to me in the classroom because, I myself, am not blind. Understanding how to educate a visually impaired student, helps me to have a passion for my career and kindles my interest in educating the disabled. When I went to the School for the Deaf and Blind in Mobile, I was able to see first-hand how the children related to one another. I was also informed that in order to receive instruction, the children had to receive individual education from instructors. It was a great opportunity. Disabilities are unavoidable. We as educators, will always come across them in some form, and being better educated and prepared to handle the situation makes us more of an asset to the educational community.