Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.


Vision impairment refers to:
Vision impairment in educational terms is any diagnosed condition of the eye or visual system which results in reduced visual functioning for learning
Disease, damage or injury causing vision impairment can occur to any part of the visual system, i.e. the eye, the visual pathway to the brain or visual centre of the brain
Vision impairments that require support include:
Distance visual acuity of 6/18 or worse:
visual acuity figures for distance are expressed in the following way: the top figure indicates how closely a person needs to be to a letter size which a person with normal vision can see from the distance indicated by the bottom figure
for example, a person with visual acuity of 6/18 would need to be 6 metres from a letter which could be seen normally 18 metres away
Restricted visual fields which adversely affect visual functioning:
the visual field is the total area, left and right/above and below, which a person sees while looking straight ahead
some eye conditions cause visual field defects and affect the ability of a student to function in the environment
eye conditions can affect different parts of the visual field
if the damage is in the central region, the ability to see fine detail is impaired
damage in the peripheral region, impairs the ability to move around the environment
some conditions result in loss of half or a portion of the visual field in one or both eyes while others cause patches where vision is poorer
A condition which results in deterioration of vision
Damage to the visual centres of the brain causing reduced visual functioning
A combination of any of the above
continued ...


Vision impairment (contd):
Visual impairment may:
be present at birth
occur at any time from disease or accident
be part of a medical condition or syndrome
The majority of visual conditions in children are stable and vision remains relatively unchanged
Some conditions, however, are progressive, resulting in reduced vision over varying periods


The following conditions are not vision impairment for educational purposes:
Normal vision in one eye (with no disease in that eye)
Strabismus (known as squint, lazy eye or turned eye)
Colour vision defect
Visual perceptual problems
Visual perception occurs in the brain and problems can range in severity
in educational terms a visual perception problem is the inability to interpret written symbols
no specific eye disease is known to cause such problems
these children may have learning difficulties and require learning support
Some conditions which affect the muscles of the eye


Orientation and mobility specialists:
Work specifically with students with vision impairment in helping them to explore their environments in a meaningful way
In many cases, students do not know how to attend to significant information in their environment and must be taught to do this and to 'tune in', before they can explore
The approach used is child centred and assists the student to develop skills which are appropriate throughout life
These skills or strategies are referred to as 'Attention Directing Tools' (ADTs) and they empower the student to pay attention to those things that are appropriate for the individual student during exploration
This, in turn, helps each student to learn about the immediate environment and to develop accurate and meaningful concepts in relation to people, traffic and the natural and built environment in general


Orientation and mobility methods and techniques used in supporting a student may include:
The 6-Step method in teaching route travel
Oral descriptions of the environment
Sighted guide (encouraging the vision impaired student to hold the arm of the support worker or another student)
Enabling the student to gain tactile knowledge of the environment through maps and hands on experiences
Establishing labels for environmental reference points important to the student
Enabling the student to discover aspects of the environment without assistance
WESST (weight, ends and edges, size, shape, sound, texture) - a technique for directing attention to the qualities of an object in order to facilitate recognition of the object in the future
NBC techniques (NearBy Considerations) - a sensory awareness technique used to gain a more complete mental map of the environment
Search grids
Clock face descriptors for objects placed in the learning environment


Safe access:
Will be organised by specialist support staff or the teacher in charge of the facility
The role of the education support worker is to ensure the environment continues to conform to the safety arrangements determined for the student/s


Appropriate people may include:
The student
Parents/caregivers
Orientation and mobility specialists
Visiting specialist teachers
Class teachers
Learning support teachers
Therapists
Optometrists
Education support workers experienced in working with the student


Adjustments to the learning environment may include:
Removing or placing protection barrier around very hazardous features (e.g. putting pot plants under stair wells to prevent student hitting head)
Positioning the student within the classroom to make optimum use of his/her abilities (vision?) and available technologies
Braille labelling of objects
Providing access to specific assistive/adaptive technologies
Providing class learning materials with tactile adaptations for the student
Adjustments to lighting/glare
Additional time allowed for reading tasks (usual allowance plus 1/3)
Adjustments to materials and equipment


Terms that suggest some educational needs of students with vision impairment include:
Low vision - a term used to describe students who may have one or more of the following:
reduced ability to see objects clearly at a distance
reduced ability to see objects clearly at close range
loss of vision in central or peripheral field
Students with low vision will usually use print as their main learning medium
Braille user - a term used to describe students whose severity of vision impairment requires them to use Braille, tactile and audio materialsThese students will be those with:
no vision
the ability to perceive only light and dark
severely reduced visual acuity
Braille and print user - a small group of students may use some braille and tactile materials and some print depending on the visual demands of the task
Louis Braille was the inventor of braille, a world-wide system used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing. Braille is read by passing one's fingers over characters made up of an arrangement of one to six embossed or raised points or dots


Ways in which vision impairment may affect students' learning include:
Vision impairment interferes with the gathering of accurate information
Around 80% of information received by the brain is received through the eyes
Information that can be accessed in a glance by a sighted person will need to be taught to a student with vision impairment
This has important implications for learning and for teaching students with vision impairment
These students will require the following in addition to the teaching of the regular school curriculum:
purposeful exposure to a range and variety of experiences in which they have the opportunity to interact with the environment through all the senses
access to all information in an appropriate format
teaching of specific skills that will allow them to access and control the environment independently


Additional instruction requirements may include:
To ensure access and participation in educational programs, students will require instruction in priority areas additional to, or different from, those of their sighted peers
These priority areas may be provided within the class setting or in other environments and some of the following need to be considered for each student:
(i) communication - braille literacy and numeracy, other braille codes (e.g. music, maths/ technical), listening skills, keyboard skills, handwriting, non-verbal communication
(ii) orientation and mobility - body and environmental awareness, spatial knowledge and understanding, independent travel
(iii) social skills - socially accepted behaviour, self-esteem, self advocacy, appropriate use of language
(iv) concept development - specific experiences to develop concepts in all key learning areas and competencies
(v) motor skills - fine and gross motor abilities
(vi) use of technology - use of high and low tech devices, adaptive technology
(vii) vision efficiency training - use of residual vision, training in use of low vision aids
(viii) recreation skills - knowledge of and skills to access leisure activities
(ix) activities for daily living - self care, organisation skills, time management
(x) vocational and employment opportunities - time management, interpersonal skills, work skills


Implications of vision impairment for effective teaching and learning include:
The need to establish and maintain a supportive, safe environment that is emotionally, socially and physically inclusive of diversity
Consideration of suitable groupings of students to support participation of students with vision impairment in teaching and learning activities
Requirements to develop or acquire and use alternative (audio, sensory, tactile or large print) learning/teaching resources
A need for technological resources and/or vision aids to meet the needs of students with vision impairment
Staff who develop competency in the use of braille and suitable technologies


Students with vision impairment may require support:
In the playground
During sport and play
Within the class
During student movements, particularly in unfamiliar areas and excursions
With supervision during examinations
In monitoring environmental conditions
Through the preparation and monitoring of a consistent safe environment


Technological solutions for vision impaired students may include the use of:
Braille writers and embossers:
Perkins Braille writer -a manual, portable, typewriter-like machine for producing BrailleThe user needs knowledge of braille symbols for letters of the alphabet and braille short forms of common words and mathematical symbolsThick paper is required for this machine, to support the embossing process
Mountbatten brailler - an electronic Braille writer, notetaker and embosser:
has built-in speech and an optional visual display unit
requires the direct-input typist to have knowledge of the braille alphabet, short forms and symbols
requires thick paper to support the embossing process
Embosser - a printer which produces a Braille document from an electronic file
Ricoh fuser - a machine that uses heat to cause a reaction between carbon and Swell Paper
writing or drawings made with pencil or other carbon-based utensils will swell up when the paper is fed through the machine, creating an embossed document
PIAF - Pictures in a Flash - a tactile image maker which uses heat-sensitive capsule paper to produce a tactile graphic
Thermoform Braille duplicator
this machine will produce braille on plasticised Braillon paper
a paper master is required and only one page can be copied in a single operation
materials produced on braillon are expected to undergo heavy use over protracted periods
continued ...
Technological solutions for vision impaired students (contd):
Braille Notetakers e.g. Braille Note and Pac Mate - sophisticated portable computers with multiple features and Braille displays
Computer software such as:
Duxbury braille translator
this program enables text to be converted to braille and output from an embosser
knowledge of braille and duxbury codes is necessary for the production of accurate braille
JAWS screen reader
this program enables the user to have access to information about what is on the screen, keyboard functions, files, typed characters and words
the audio function can be set at various speeds to suit student abilities
headphones are usually necessary in order not to interrupt other students' work
Zoomtext enlargement software
this program enables the users to customise the print size of all that is displayed on a computer screen
Open book
a software reading package for computers
Scanner-reading Machines e.g. SARA - use optical character recognition technology to scan text and provide an audio output
E Beam - transfers information from a white board to a laptop computer


Suitable resources may include:
Tape recorders
Headphones
Digital audio players
Talking calculators
Tactile rulers or markers
Tactile maps and graphics
Braille compasses
Concrete objects
Enlarged or embossed worksheets
Overhead projector
Low vision aids:
Optical aids:
spectacles
magnification devices
closed circuit TV
tinted lenses
Non-optical aids:
lamps
dark lined books for writing
dark pens or pencils
hats or shades
typoscopes - any device used to isolate words, letter or lines while reading or writing
reading/writing/typing stands which provide an angled working station to assist with posture
illumination control / glare reduction

EVIDENCE GUIDE

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
This unit may be assessed either on the job or off the job through an appropriate workplace simulation
Assessment should ensure the candidate addresses the elements and performance criteria on at least three occasions, over a period of time


Access and equity considerations:
All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities


Context of and specific resources for assessment:
This unit can be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged
Assessment requires access to
appropriate documentation, resources and technologies normally used in an educational environment supporting students with vision impairment
principles of practice used in the organisation
scenarios that replicate difficulties experienced by vision impaired students and that provide opportunities for participants to problem solve support
Key aspects of the assessment context for closely replicating a workplace include:
various environments - inside, outside, stairs, doors etc within which the 'student' may be assisted using orientation and mobility strategies
learning situations in which the participant is to provide appropriate support to meet the needs of the 'vision impaired student'


Method of assessment:
Assessment methods suitable for valid and reliable assessment of this competency may include, but are not limited to, a combination of two or more of:
case studies
demonstration
observation
questioning - oral and written
scenarios, simulation or role plays
workplace projects
authenticated evidence from the workplace and/or training courses
Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands, such as literacy, and the needs of particular groups, such as:
people in rural and remote locations
people with disabilities
people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
women
young people
older people