SchoolArts - February 2008

Meeting Individual Needs

Seeing You Through

Gail Cawley Showalter

Iwas an art teacher before I became a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI.) As a TVI, most of my days were spent mainstreaming students into classrooms. The results of the 2005 SchoolArts Teacher Viewpoint Survey stated that, “sixty-two percent of teachers checked ‘mainstreaming special-education students’ as affecting their work.” In light of that fact, I offer suggestions that may be of help.

I would like to see the inclusion of all students into art classrooms as having a positive effect. As I used art with students who are blind, I learned that the art process gives them personal pleasure and provides an opportunity for creativity that does not place visually impaired students in a competitive situation. Instead, it gives students a fascinating and new experience.

Adaptive Devices A conference with the TVI will also give you useful insights for teaching the student. Some students use adaptive devices such as pen or brush grippers that are great for art. The TVI will advise you in the appropriate use of any device or equipment. Adaptive devices and tools give the visually impaired student a sense of confidence when the art process is under way.

As I used art with students
who are blind, I learned
that the art process gives
them personal pleasure.

Three Approaches A few simple guidelines help you teach students with visual impairments. Three approaches will lead you on the path towards a fulfilling an easier teaching journey.

The Environment

Consideration of the layout of the room and the student’s familiarity with it will put the student, the teacher, and other classmates at ease. Ask the Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialist, if your student has one, to orient the student to your room layout.

Once oriented to the room, most students will manage very well. Alert the student to any changes made to the room arrangement throughout the year.

vide an alternative. A cafeteria tray with rubber bumpers or rubberized shelf liner attached to the bottom provides a controllable boundary for the student’s materials. For Braille readers labels may be helpful. Ask the student what she or he prefers.

These tips will help you will
take a few extra
steps to create a
welcome place
in your class for
the student with
visual impair-
ments. Some of

my most intriguing and rewarding moments as a teacher have been with students who are blind, but definitely not lacking vision. It is a pleasure to witness as the student discovers a new means of self-expression. Remember it is the expression, not the final product that gives it worth. Unlike other items in education, its value is not measurable. What happens in the heart of the artist cannot be scored.

Evaluation Practical Aids

It is essential that you know the One of the challenges for the student actual capabilities of the students. who is visually impaired is arrang-Students who are recognized as visu- ing and maneuvering the materials. ally impaired will have a Functional Work trays are one way for keeping Vision Evaluation (FVE) that provides track of art materials and managing essential information for any teacher and keeping materials accessible. working with them. It will give you Non-skid rubberized shelf liner is valuable information as well as mod- handy for keeping items from slip-ifications for students. ping away. It will also prevent spills.

Simple homemade devices can pro-

Gail Cawley Showalter, formerly an art teacher and a teacher of the visually impaired, is the author of Time for Art, a handbook available through www.aph.org. Gail resides in Nederland, Texas with her husband Sam. For more information, visit her website at www.seeinguthrough.com.