Pupils with Vision Impairment
Habilitation
Mobility
All VI students receive orientation and mobility training from a qualified Habilitation specialist. This involves skills ranging from sighted guide to long cane training. Pupils are taught to travel independently round school, to form rooms and classrooms, to the dining hall and social areas and also to the outside space.
On an age appropriate basis students will learn routes outside school and their home areas, leading up to travelling independently on buses and trains. Priority for mobility is given to transition in year 7 and transition planning in Years 10 and 11.
Life and Independence Skills
The Habilitation team have developed a life and social skills curriculum, from Years 7 – 11, which builds systematically on age appropriate life skills. Pupils start with making a hot drink and a sandwich and progress towards making a meal safely and independently. The curriculum covers handling money and budgeting, shopping, all aspects of independent living including cleaning, washing, ironing and making a bed. The curriculum also covers aspects of self awareness, including knowledge and understanding of visual awareness and developing the skills to ask for help when needed.
All Pupils complete units of work through AQA and will receive accredited certificates, leading to a portfolio of skills.
Braille
Pupils are taught Braille by a Qualified Teacher of Children with a Visual Impairment (QTVI) or by a Specialist Support Assistant under the guidance of a QTVI. Pupils who have not completed the full Braille literacy scheme, follow the Fingerprints Braille scheme of work currently all students that are Braillists are receiving Braille teaching to convert from Standard English Braille (SEB) to Unified English Braille (UEB).
ICT
Pupils receive ICT in the VI ARC and follow the Doorway Online Touch Typing Programme. After completion students move onto the EDCC units of work, which focus on Word Processing. Pupils work through Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced units to develop their skills Word Processing. Pupils who pass assessments receive EDCC accredited certificates.
Pupils also receive specialist teaching on a range of specialist ICT hardware and software packages in order to maximise their communication methods
Tactile Skills
Pupils require tactile skills to understand tactile diagrams which they are presented with. Pupils receive lessons based on developing their tactile skills for subjects such as Math and Science. This involves pre and post teaching along with completing example questions which focus on tactile diagrams.