Visual Impairment, Issues and strategies
The publication of ‘Getting It Right For Every Child’ ( GIRFEC) marked the beginning of significant change within Scottish local authorities. By implementing the 10 core components and recognising the set of values and principles of GIRFEC, the government aims to support all families and young people to access an appropriate educational framework through a multi agency approach,
‘We want all our children and young people to be fully supported as they grow and develop into successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens’ (Scottish Government, 2012).
As a Physical Education (PE) teacher at a specialist school for the visually impaired, I am directly involved in implementing and fulfilling the GIRFEC approach underpinned by the ‘Code of Practice’ for the Additional Support for Learning Act (2004). To ensure that the young people continue to be appropriately placed, I must adapt and implement individualised strategies to allow all young people with a visual impairment (VI) to access the curriculum. Within this report I will reflect upon a group of pupils I currently teach and evaluate how the design and delivery of the PE curriculum promotes inclusion. Throughout this i will also examine the impact co-operative working and consultation has on meeting the individual needs of a child with VI.
The Curriculum For Excellence (CFE) categorises PE under the curricular area of Health and Wellbeing ( Education Scotland 2013). There is a growing awareness of the importance of both physical and emotional health within the visually impaired population ( Marques-Brocksopp, 2012) however barriers to inclusion have been widely researched and note that pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs are disadvantaged in PE and sport ( Block and Obrusnikova,2007; Smith and Thomas,2006). Excusing visually impaired pupils from PE lessons has been traditionally accepted however it is my
‘We want all our children and young people to be fully supported as they grow and develop into successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens’ (Scottish Government, 2012).
As a Physical Education (PE) teacher at a specialist school for the visually impaired, I am directly involved in implementing and fulfilling the GIRFEC approach underpinned by the ‘Code of Practice’ for the Additional Support for Learning Act (2004). To ensure that the young people continue to be appropriately placed, I must adapt and implement individualised strategies to allow all young people with a visual impairment (VI) to access the curriculum. Within this report I will reflect upon a group of pupils I currently teach and evaluate how the design and delivery of the PE curriculum promotes inclusion. Throughout this i will also examine the impact co-operative working and consultation has on meeting the individual needs of a child with VI.
The Curriculum For Excellence (CFE) categorises PE under the curricular area of Health and Wellbeing ( Education Scotland 2013). There is a growing awareness of the importance of both physical and emotional health within the visually impaired population ( Marques-Brocksopp, 2012) however barriers to inclusion have been widely researched and note that pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs are disadvantaged in PE and sport ( Block and Obrusnikova,2007; Smith and Thomas,2006). Excusing visually impaired pupils from PE lessons has been traditionally accepted however it is my