Education of totally blind children
1. Residential
blind school: Blind children require for their education special equipment,
special method and medium as well as the application of special principles of
teaching. Braille classes will provide supplementary assistance to the blind
child to participate in the regular classroom instruction.
2. Special equipment:
Since blind children require education through touch and hearing , steps should
be taken to provide them with specially designed charts, models, relief maps,
globe, sound generating equipment's, electronic equipment and computers with
voice manipulator etc. so that they can touch, handle, hear and understand many
things.
3. Physical
and art education: Physical activities like gymnastics, swimming, rowing,
wrestling etc. should find place in the physical education for the blind. Various
types of handicrafts, provision for teaching music handing musical instruments
are also included in physical education.
4. Vocational
training: Emphasis should be given to the vocational education of blind
children. Productive activities should be encouraged and vocational training
such as book binding, candle making, soap making, making of household utensils
etc. should be integrated with usual classroom teaching.
5. Special
education principles: An education based on the following principles is recommended
for the blind:
a)
Concreteness: Only through factual perception can the blind child gain a real knowledge
of the world around him. Hence the teacher should take steps to provide as many
concrete experiences as possible through touch, which will provide them with the
spatial characteristics of the object.
B)
Unified instruction: Blindness puts the child at a serious disadvantage in experiencing
things and situations in their totality. Hence they should be taught by a unit
plan of instruction and not by unrelated interests in formal subjects.
c)
Additional stimulation: Stimulation in the form of study tour, excursions,
field trips and museum visits should be made available for the blind children.
Possibilities of audio-aids such as radio, tape recorder, computers etc should
be utilized to provide maximum stimulations to the blind child.
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