SENSORY DISABILITIES

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Visual Impairment or Low Vision is a severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and reduces a person's ability to function at certain or all tasks. Legal blindness (which is actually a severe visual impairment) refers to a best-corrected central vision of 20/200 or worse in the better eye or a visual acuity of better than 20/200 but with a visual field no greater than 20° (e.g., side vision that is so reduced that it appears as if the person is looking through a tunnel). Color Blindness involves the inability for a person to distinguish between certain colors, usually red and green.

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES

• Allow parent or buddy to read for scout

• Provide more time for reading, writing, primarily visual activities

• Allow scout to verbally answer in place of written work

• Reduce the physical activities to lower/slower activity level

• Allow for more time when doing activities that require motion

• Provide a magnifier for scout

• Acquire handbooks in large type (ask your local council for help)

• Scouts with significant visual impairment are well aware of their abilities and needs. Let them set these.

• No significant changes are needed for Color Blindness

HEARING IMPAIRMENT

Deafness is a condition wherein the ability to detect certain frequencies of sound is completely or partially impaired. When applied to humans, the term hearing impaired is rejected by the Deaf Culture movement, where the terms deaf and hard-of-hearing are preferred. Deafness does not mean that the scout cannot talk, but many people with hearing impairments have difficulty speaking.

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES

• Provide written instructions for activities

• Allow scout to provide written answers in place of verbal responses

• Get someone who can translate sign language

• When talking to scout face them and talk at a normal pace (Helps with lip reading)

• Make sure the scout has a clear view of you and the visual aids

• Assign a buddy to the scout who can take notes for them or get their attention

• Add visual aids/instructions to any activity (Demonstrate)

• Enforce the buddy system whenever going out (generally a good idea, but even more so with this disability)

• For scouts with some hearing, place them nearest to the speaker or source of the sound.

• Avoid too much background noise or competing noises

• Avoid long instructions or dialogue. Keep talks short, clear, and to the point.

• Break up verbal instructions into small parts, and check for understanding repeatedly.