Inside Look Winter 2018

Table of Contents (Click a link to go directly to the article) Student Spotlight Visual Impairment eNewsletter Recognizing and Understanding Cortical ~Winter 2018~ Visual Impairment (CVI) Seeing AI: A Revolutionary iPhone App Introduction for the Blind Hello everyone and welcome to the first Youth Low Vision Program edition of The Inside Look. The purpose of Expanded Core 101 this eNewsletter is to educate and enlighten teachers, parents, students, and other Using VoiceOver on Apple Devices professionals on information related to the Handheld Low Vision Devices field of blindness and low vision. The contributing authors of The Inside Look are The Importance of Orientation and Mobility in Early Childhood Teacher Consultants for the Visually Impaired (TCVI) and Certified Orientation Bookshare and Mobility Specialists (COMS) that work Nystagmus for the Western Wayne County Program for the Visually Impaired based out of Livonia The Importance of Routine Eye Exams Public Schools. It is our hopes that you take VI Resources the knowledge and resources shared with you in this eNewsletter and use it to promote Upcoming Events the independence and success of each and every one of our students. 1 “I really enjoy to dance. Specifically, I like Student Spotlight hip-hop and alternative dancing. In fact, I In each edition of recently auditioned for the show America’s The Inside Look we Got Talent at Cobo Hall in Detroit. I am will be spotlighting happy to announce that I passed the first a student who is round of auditions and am currently waiting currently receiving for a call back from producers on my next VI Services in order step!” to bring to light their remarkable Can you explain your visual impairment accomplishments. and how it affects your daily life? In this first edition, we have interviewed “I am diagnosed with retinopathy of Calvin, a Senior at Cambridge High School. prematurity and I have been dealing with Calvin has recently put his tremendous that my whole life. I am not totally blind dancing skills on display while auditioning but it is difficult for me to see objects and for the show America’s Got Talent. The text on a daily basis.” picture above is Calvin while at his audition. What are your plans after high school? Hello Calvin, how does it feel to be the “Well my first plan is going to be finding a very first student we decided to spotlight job. I really enjoy working with people and for the newsletter? I also like to fix things. I have recently lined “Wow that is a lot of pressure (laughing)! I up a job at the Holiday Inn working in the am excited and honored to be the very first maintenance department after I graduate.” student that you chose!” What are some skills that you have We would first like the readers to get to learned from your TCVI/O&M teachers know you a little bit, what are some of that have prepared you for the future? “Since I will not be able to drive a car, I your hobbies? have learned important skills to get to where 2 I need to go. I am now comfortable taking performance to be visually impaired, they the bus anywhere I need to go. I have also are considered to have CVI.” CVI is an learned how to use different tools (like often misunderstood condition due, in part, magnifiers) to help me with my vision.” to the fact that a child with Cortical Visual Impairment may have normal medical eye Thank you Calvin and congratulations on exams, or an eye condition that is not graduating this upcoming March. associated with their visual difficulties. “No problem, I can’t wait to graduate and get my own job and make my own money.” What are the common characteristics of a child with CVI? Children who have a Cortical Visual Recognizing and Understanding Impairment typically display 10 common Cortical Visual characteristics: Impairment (CVI) By: Lori Marsh 1. Color Preference: The child with CVI is Teacher for the Visually typically drawn to highly saturated colors; Impaired typically red and yellow, but it can be any bright fluorescent color. The child may also What is Cortical Visual Impairment? have a favorite color and prefer to only Currently, Cortical Visual Impairment, or visually attend to objects of that color. CVI, is the number one cause of Visual Impairments in American children. 2. Need for Movement: According to the American Printing House Objects that contain movement or for the Blind, “Cortical visual impairment movement-like properties (such as reflective (CVI) is a neurological disorder, which surfaces) will catch the child’s attention. results in unique visual responses to people, Reflective pom-poms, foil, or holiday educational materials, and to the garland are all reflective objects that environment. When students with these children with CVI may be drawn to. visual/behavioral characteristics are shown to have loss of acuity or judged by their 3 turning away from faces or pictures of faces as well. 5. Visual Field Preferences: The visual field refers to the area in which objects can be seen to the sides, top, or bottom as the eyes are focused on a central point. Children who have CVI often have a preferred visual 3. Visual Latency: Visual Latency refers to field. They may only look at objects out of a delay in response from when a child with their right or left visual field. Children with CVI views an object to when they respond. CVI may also have difficulty with their When the child is shown an object it may lower visual fields so they may tilt their take a few moments for them to respond or head or pick up the item to move it into their turn and look at it. These response times preferred visual field. vary from child to child. 6. Visual Novelty: The human brain is 4. Visual Complexity: The child with CVI wired to respond to objects that are visually often cannot make sense of things that novel, or new. We automatically scan and contain a lot of patterns or are placed on a search for the item that is new or that patterned background. Placing items on doesn’t belong so we can assess if there is plain, black backgrounds can help danger. Children with CVI don’t process tremendously. Complexity can also refer to the world in that same manner. Oftentimes other sensory feedback. Can the child they are unable to pick out the item that visually attend to objects when there is doesn’t belong or that is new. For this background noise in the room? Can the child reason the child with CVI may only visually attend to the toy if it makes noise or do they respond to a familiar item, something they turn away? The complexity of a human face have seen or played with many times before. may be something that is difficult for a child with CVI to attend to. You may notice them 4 objects at a distance greater than a few feet. The Child with CVI will typically prefer to view objects at near. 9. Need for Light: Children with CVI may feel the need to stare at light or to have bright lights placed close 7. Abnormal Reflex Responses: The child to their face. They may open their eyes with CVI typically has abnormal reflex wider when looking into bright light, rather responses. They often don’t blink when than blinking or closing their eyes like those touched on the bridge of their nose. They without CVI would do. Children with CVI also may not blink to bright light or objects tend to prefer to view items if they are that are moved quickly toward their face. placed on a lightbox or lit with a flashlight. Reflex responses are not something that can 10. Visually Directed Reach: Children with be taught but they can be observed and recorded for changes as the child develops. CVI typically do not have a visually directed The absence of typical reflex responses can reach. They may look at an item, look away, be dangerous for a child with CVI, reach, and finally grab for the item. Whereas especially during activities where balls are those without CVI will look at the object being thrown such as Physical Education and maintain visual focus while they reach class or recess. and grab for it. 8. Difficulty with Distance Viewing: How is CVI Diagnosed? Because a child with CVI has difficulty with Since CVI contains a neurological visual complexity, naturally when objects component, it must be diagnosed by a are moved farther away from them they will neurologist or medical doctor. Children with blend into the background and become too CVI will oftentimes have relatively normal visually complex to discern. For this reason, medical eye exams or conditions that do not children with CVI have difficulties viewing explain the visual difficulty they are 5 experiencing. They may have “normal” be activated. Along the bottom of the screen vision but struggle with visually attending to users have the option to choose between the faces, pictures, or toys. For this reason if following modes: Short Text, Document, you suspect your child may have a Cortical Product, Person, Currency, Scene, Color, Visual Impairment, it’s important to talk Handwriting, and Light. with your child’s medical team. Short Text Mode - In my opinion, this is Seeing AI - A Revolutionary iPhone App the most useful mode of Seeing AI because for the Blind the app will read out loud any text that is By: Patrick Draheim directly in front of the camera.

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