Program for blind children which supports sensorial development and space orientation.
context
Ours movement is consciously on condition that:
-we perceive the surroundings
-we know our position
-we sense the movement we make.
Blind people can well move in every space on condition that they have developed space orientation. This situation is possible if the rehabilitation of blind/visually impaired people will be started as soon as possible.
Blind children can grow up to become productive, fully functioning, independent members of society. To do this, they need normal expectations for their development, high quality training in the skills of blindness, and exposure to healthy, positive attitudes about blindness and the abilities of blind/visually impaired people. Polish market does not provide many “tools”, “toys” for blind children to improve the process of rehabilitation.
What does it actually mean to be blind? Does it mean a person can't see or can't see well? Does it mean limitations—a person can't do this or can't do that?
Blindness means using alternative skills, methods, and tools to get the job done.
The key is skills. With the alternative skills of blindness, a child will be able to accomplish tasks without frustration and with success.
Children must learn how to perceive the world, the space that is around them. This is connected with:
- developing alternative senses, skills
- describing space with special names (names which show the relations between objects in space).
When they get through this step they will be not so afraid of space witch was unknown and dangerous. This will help them to be more acitve and courageous and to become in future independent person.
Key points of concept
I design a program with special tools to learn blind children the most important things that will be helpful in their grown-up life. During my work on this project I was cooperating with Special Center for blind/visually impaired children in Cracow where I have consult all my ideas with teachers and tested prototype versions with blind children.
The hole idea is to learn children definitions of space relations in small space, which they can grasp. Then they use their knowledge in bigger space. That is way in this program we use elements which are in to scales: small and large.
The children during the program acquire skills:
Purposeful action, movement – they know in what kind of space they are and they know how to move
teaching space sensing – they learn naming relations between objects in space
arrangement – finding objects in the right places, putting objects in the set place, sorting out (sizing), collecting, picking elements that are necessary to complete the task
developing "small" motor activity – developing hands activity
"large" motor activity – exercising all body
calibration – learning how to create the same pattern in small (table) and large (floor) space
locating – finding objects in right place
exploration – studying the features of an object by hands
comparing - examining resemblances or differences
communication – using objects to show/express your needs, questions, thoughts
identification – learning about the connection between objects and its purpose (what can you do using this object)
My educational program develop all mentioned skills in 4 stages ( every stage have different degrees of difficulty and different result of the play):
I - free configurations
II – track
III – boards
IV – game
Development steps
In the beginning when I consult all my ideas with teachers in Cracow I realize that this kind of design must be conduct very carefully and with discipline. Every element is very important and give child a piece of information. That is way I need to realize that every shape, pattern must be very good rethink that the result after examine it by hand will be as I expect.
I have got a lot of issues to solve so I had to divide my project into few stages. The steps of project development are the same as the steps of my program:
I - free configurations - The main idea is to learn children translating the same pattern from the small (table) to large (floor) space.
Children are building patterns using special elements which we call: shapers. This elements are distinguished one from another by shape and texture and they occur in two scales. So there are the same elements which children play on table (small scale) and arrange on the floor (large scale). Children while the play build various patterns, tracks…
While child is building a track on the table, he recognize it’s shape by hand. Play on the floor but with large shapers is connected with recognizing the shape of the track by walking on it. This both situations learns child to translate the gained knowledge from the small to large scale.
There are 3 types of shapers (the names was inspirited by children during they play with the elements):
a) straight - with this elements children can build square and a straight track
b) bend – with this elements children can build circle and a track witch curves
c) askew – using this elements children can build hexagon and a track with turns.
This part of program is very important because it will help children in future how to read special plans, maps. Large space is not available for quick touch explore. Plan is the only way to become acquainted with large space.
This stage provide free play, children find the features of the elements, differences and similarities. And the result can be various.
This kind of play was very good for children who have a lot of problems with shape identification. But for children who have more developed manual skills this step is to ease. I realized that I need to create a program which will include different degrees of difficulty.
The next stage of my program is:
II – track – In this stage the result of play is the same but can be achieve using different elements. Here child learn planning the track with passing round the obstacles. Child must imagine the route and select required shapers.
III – boards - To fill out the space – it is very important to learn children understanding space as a distance between two objects not as a time you need to cover this distance.
Tools: boards with openings - two types:
1) the shape of the opening is developing consequently or
2) the shape of the openings is designed to learn names of relations between objects in space. Children fill in the openings using shapers. There is only one result of the play.
IV – game – in this part children learn to behave by the set rules, it is designed for two players –
Elements of play:
- setting rules of the game,
- finding the place of element on the board
- learning a special commands to communicate.
This game gives children large area of manipulations which are limited in set rules.
The shapers are located in special packaging, which shape is determined by them. So children can only in one way put the shaping in the packaging. When the packaging are closed we give children extra elements (solids). Using them they can built a spatial constructions.
The hole program provide different degree of difficulty, while in the III stage the result can be only one in the I stage there are infinite possibilities. For the I stage author suggest possibilities of exercises but also give it open for children imagination.
The purpose of the project is to improve the process of space studying which includes:
- using properly words that describe the space
- unimpeded movement in space.
Projekt follow-up
The prototype of my project will be given to The Special Center for blind/visually impaired children in Cracow, and during all year will be tested by children. This will give me a full image how my project influence on the process of blind children rehabilitation. I want also to present my project to others Special Centers for blind children in Poland.