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Gargiulo, R. M. (2009). Special education in contemporary society: An introduction to exceptionality. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Visual Impairments - Project IDEAL. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/

Diagnosis of visual impairment - News-Medical.net. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://www.news-medical.net/health/Diagnosis-of-visual-impairment.aspx

Severe Visual Impairment and Blindness in Infants: Causes ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3119278/

Eyesight Symptoms After Concussion or other Brain Injury ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://www.braininjuries.org/

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Myths about Blindness and Visual Impairments | Wisconsin ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/blind/adjustment/myths-blindvisual.htm

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Gargiulo, R. M. (2009). Special education in contemporary society: An introduction to exceptionality. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Three Books [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Ceguera [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Can You See Me Nowï�¥  [Digital image]. (n.d.).

i have a lazy eye but its a good thing  [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Corneal oedema. Acute glaucoma [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Music Therapy [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Owl-158417_1280-1.png [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Cover Your Eye [Digital image]. (n.d.).

infanttoddlerroom.jpg. [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Runners-227182_1280-1.jpg [Digital image]. (n.d.).

Eye [Digital image]. (n.d.).

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Legal:
"The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) officially defines the category as “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.

This definition encompasses students with a wide range of visual impairments who may vary significantly in their visual abilities.
Layman's:

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-The U.S. Department of Education (2010) reported that approximately 26,000 children between the ages of 6 and 21 received services in the 2008-2009 school year.

-If you compare the number of students receiving any kind of special education service, visual impaired students make up 0.4% of students with disabilities, making it one of the less prevalent disabilities.
-"Approximately 90% of individuals with visual impairments have functional or low vision; just 10% are functionally blind.” (AFB)
- “It is estimated that 2.8% of school-age children in the United States experience a vision loss significant enough to require specialized support in their educational program. (National Eye Institute, 2010)
According to the 2009 American Foundation for the Blind:

93,600 students are visually impaired or blind

55,200 students are legally blind

5,500 are braille readers

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Causes:

-Amblyopia (lazy eye) -when the vision in one of the eyes is reduced because the eye and the brain are not working together properly. -Strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes)-both eyes do not look at the same place at the same time. It usually occurs in people who have poor eye muscle control or if they are very farsighted.

-Birth Defects- either prenatal or postnatal
-Eye or Brain injuries- brain injuries or concussions that could cause:
-Blurred vision

-Sensitivity to light,

-Attention, concentration, and memory difficulty

-Headaches with visual tasks

-Reduction or loss of visual field

-Difficulties with eye movement

Common Impairments:
Cataracts- blurred vision
Glaucoma- tearing, pain, limited visual fields, cloudy lens

Optic Nerve Atrophy- loss of central and color vision, less acuity

Myopia- nearsightedness, lessened acuity

Albinism- sensitive to light, lessened acuity, Nystagmus (repetitive eye
movement)
Eye injury- weak visual acuity, possible blindness

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) no peripheral vision, possible
blindness

Impact on Learning:
-It is important to know that students have a limited ability to learn
from their environment.

-Their other senses do not make up for the lack in visual acuity.

-This disability can have a direct impact on social, motor, and
intellectual learning.

-Students have less motivation to explore their surroundings

-Students do not share the same typical visual connections as their
peers, so this can affect self-esteem.

-Visually impaired students can learn at about the same rate as
general education  children, but they must have specific
interventions in place.

What Teachers Should Not Do:
Don’t be afraid to touch a visually impaired child, but warn

them so they know to expect it.

Don’t be overprotective. Allow the child to attempt whatever he/she
wants to attempt.

Don’t worry about feeling awkward around visually impaired children.

Don’t lower your expectations of the child’s ability and/or performance

Don’t accept less than appropriate behavior because of this
impairment.

Where Can Parents and Teachers Go for Help?
American Council for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Center for Disability and Development, Council for Exceptional Children-Division on Visual Impairment, National Eye Institute

These organization offer tips, strategies, and background information that can help support teachers and parents as they try to provide the best interventions for the visually impaired.

The Blind Children’s Center is a family centered organization that supports children with visual impairments. It offers a variety of   resources including educational books and videos.

Dots for Families-  designed for whoever wants to promote literacy opportunities for young children with visual impairments.

The following have toys, books and games for the visually impaired:
http://www.gentlewind.com- provides recorded songs and stories

http://enablingdevices.com - provides adapted toys, books, and devices
http://www.lssproducts.com/ - products for visually impaired

https://www.vtechkids.com/ - talking toys and products for education