Black: The Deaf Blindness
Introduction:
The role of the movies is to entertain and to make the society aware of the different aspects of education. A recently released film, “Three Idiots” is one of the best examples of it. The movies also focus onthe problems of physically as well as mentally challenged persons. The story of a student, who is talented in other activities but can’t participate in education system is suffering from “Dyslexia” is shown in the film, “Tare Zameenar”. The movie “Paa” focuses on the disease, “Plezaria”, where a person has a sound mental health butot enough physical strength. In the same way a girl who is sound mentally and physically but having disabilities of dumbness, deafness and blindness is highlighted in the film “Black”.
We haven’t yet get the exact number of such people known as deaf blindness but it is assumed that the number may be up to 4.5 lacs.
What is Deaf Blindness?
The term ‘Deaf blind’ is used to describe a heterogeneous group of people who may suffer from varying degrees of visual and hearing impairment, perhaps combined with learning and physical disabilities, which can cause severe communication, development and educational needs. A precise description is difficult because the degree of deafness and blindness, are not uniform, and the educational needs of each (person) will have to be decided individually.
Definition:
According to National Deaf Blind Census NTAC:
“The term, ‘children with deaf blindness,’ means children and youth having auditory and visual impairments, the combination of which creates such severe communication and other developmental and learning needs that they cannot be appropriately educated without special education and related services, beyond those that would be provided solely for children with hearing impairments, visual impairments, or severe disabilities to address their educational needs due to these concurrent disabilities.”
Types of deaf blindness:
Congenital Deaf Blindness:
The children who are born with the combined difficulties of sight and hearing due to the following reasons:
Rubella: Rubella is one of the mildest illnesses caused by a virus, and is one of the few which regularly cause birth defects when contracted by pregnant women. If the infection occurs during the trimester of pregnancy, the risk of rubella-associated defect is greatly increased. The eyes, ears, heart, central nervous system and brain appear to be especially susceptible to rubella associated damage. The rubella baby may have low birth weight, Cataract, Glaucoma, heart defects, hearing defects, brain damage or any combination of these problems.
Charge:
CHARGE, series of characteristics are documented by Dr. Roberta Pago in1981. The collection of six multisystem congenital anomalies includes
C: Coloboma of lris and /or Retina
H: Heart defect (various kinds)
A: Choanal Artesia (unilateral or bilateral)
R: Growth Retardation
G: Genitalia anomalies
E: Ear anomalies (external, middle and/or internal)
Hearing loss varies and is accompanied by outer-ear deformities. Visual problems include micro ophthalmus (abnormally small eyes) and nystagmus (involuntary rapid movement of the eyeball).
Acquired Deaf Blindness:
The problem of sight and hearing develops later in life which occurs due to the conditions as given below.
* Accident
* Illness
* Result of ageing
User Syndrome:
Progressive loses of sight and hearing in life that may be born with the genetic condition.
Assesment:
Assessment helps to develop an individual educational plan. It is the first step which involves gathering information in order to describe functioning, determine needs and set priorities and goal. The assessment can be done by the following methods.
Norms Referenced Assessment
Criterion Referenced Assessment
Curriculum Based Assessment
Performance Based Assessment
Formal Assessment
Functional Assessment
Characterstics:
Lack of ….
Ability to communicate with environment.
Curiosity.
Basic motivation.
Adjustment in a meaningful way.
Ability to anticipate future events or results.
Emotional, Social and Cognitive development.
Torted perception of world.
Isolated and withdrawn personality.
Medically problematic.
Defensive by touching.
Having feeling difficulties and unusual patterns of sleeping.
Impact of Deaf Blindness on Learning:
The children who are deaf blind are very specific. They depend on others to assist them in accessing, interpreting and organizing information from the world around them. They do not get an opportunity to understand the actions/activities going on around them. They have limitations but they can be heard by the use of their tactile, olfactory, kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses along with whatever residual hearing and vision they might have.
How will they learn?
They learn
through doing
through experience
best by doing together with us
in safe and secure environment established by us
by developing a social relationship
learn by accessing the anticipated humorous opportunities
learn by the provision of fearless physical environment
In short, the corner stone of educational approach for them is to develop a warm, secure and a trusting relationship between them and us.
Conclusion:
Black, with a red and white stick in hand is not dark black; it is black with a silver line around it. We can make the silver line by identifying, assessing and providing him with the proper environment and social support. It can be the brightest by us. Of course, it is our duty.
Dr. D. M. Bakrania, Reader, Department of Education, K. S. K. V. Kachchh University, Bhuj.