1. BLINDNESS & VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS SYDNEY WILLIAMS-KELSEY IOSUE-KIARA MARSHALL

2. FEDERAL DEFINITION Vision loss refers to the partial or complete loss of vision. This vision loss may happen suddenly or over a period of time According to MedTerms.com: Legal blindness occurs when a person has central visual acuity (vision that allows a person to see straight ahead of them) of 20/200 or less in his or her better eye with correction. With 20/200 visual acuity, a person can see at 20 feet, what a person with 20/20 vision sees at 200 feet.

3. VIDEO http://youtu.be/sZu1CwSfm0g

4. HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED? The eye doctor will examine the general health of your eyes using various instruments Testing is done on each eye to determine the acuity of each eye and peripheral vision. An optometrist will test the function and quality of eye muscles, and how pupils respond to light.

5. CHARACTERISTICS Crossed eyes Fluttering Non-focused eyes Clumsiness Squinting Blinking often Other senses are heightened

6. TYPES: Color blindness: The inability to perceive differences in various shades of colors, particularly green and red, that others can distinguish. Snow blindness: Snow blindness is loss of vision after exposure of the eyes to large amounts of ultraviolet light. Night blindness: A difficulty in seeing under situations of decreased illumination. Unilateral blindness: Blindness in one eye. Bilateral blindness: Blindness in both eyes.

7. CAUSES Accidents or injuries to the surface of the eye (such as chemical burns or sports injuries) Diabetes Glaucoma Macular degeneration (wet and dry) Ocular herpes Cataracts Lazy Eye Optic neuritis Complications from eye surgery

8. HELP OFFERED: Help is available under IDEA. IDEA requires all children to be evaluated who is known or suspected to have a visual impairment, which is free. Early Intervention Special Education and related services (Ages 3-21) Service animals Education considerations (braille, assistive technologies, residual vision, safe movement)

9. ACTIVITY 1.Take out a pencil. 2. Everyone: turn your handout over to the back side. 3. Listen to the sound of our voice and follow the instructions. 4. Close your eyes!

10. Answer Key!

11. REFERENCES Keefer, A. (2013, August 16). Characteristics of visually impaired child. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/126096-characteristics-visually-impaired- child/ Legal blindness. (2012, october 3). Retrieved from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10614 The help available under idea. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment Dahl, A. (2013, December 11). Blindness. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/blindness/page2.htm What are service dogs?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicalservicedogs.com/what-are-service-dogs/