According to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2004), the terms partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind are used in the educational context to describe students with visual impairments. They are defined as follows:
1. Partially sighted - indicates some type of visual problem has resulted in a need for special education;
2. Low vision - generally refers to a severe visual impairment, not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of vision and other senses to learn, although they may require adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and, sometimes, braille;
3. Legally blind - indicates that a person has less than 20/200 vision in the better eye or a very limited field of vision (20 degrees at its widest point); and
4. Totally blind - students learn via braille or other non-visual media.
When we consider how best to educate those with visual impairments, we must recognize that these students "must be able to access equivalent information and materials as their sighted peers and be guaranteed a high quality education, both academically and socially" (Kinash & Paszuk, 2007).
With timely identification of problems and proper planning and implementation of a individualized program, students with visual impairments can have a rich and full learning experience.
References
Kinash, S. & Paszuk, A. (2007). Accessible education for blind learners: Kindergarten through postsecondary. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2004). Visual impairments: Fact Sheet 13. Retrieved June 1, 2007 from http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs13txt.htm.
