Figure 1 Grita signing W
Grita is a 10 year old girl who is deafblind, has Down Syndrome and developmental delay. She is blind in her left eye and has 4/60 vision in her right eye.
Grita is in a mainstream setting and is attending her local primary school.
Here BLENNZ Resource Teacher: Vision Lynlee Pendrigh who is her weekly ORS teacher, talks about how Grita uses key New Zealand Sign Language signs and speech to communicate alongside her peers in the classroom.
In figure 1 Grita is signing the letter W. Continue Reading →
Figure 1 Teuaki walking in the clasroom
Teuaki is a 15 year old student at Homai Campus School. He has spent the last few years recovering from a brain tumour that has left him blind and with bilateral hearing loss.
Initially Teuaki was seated in a wheelchair with his legs crossed and his head resting on his knees. He was unable to hold his head up and was tube fed.
Lynette Spurdle, BLENNZ Homai Campus School teacher describes how Teuaki has been working to regain his physical skills.
In figure 1 Teuaki is walking in the classroom supported by the hoist and sling. Continue Reading →
Figure 1 Nevaeh is pointing to a cat in the book
Nevaeh is a 3 year old girl with a history of bilateral congenital nasolachrymal duct obstruction, nystagmus, and refractive error. She also has Down Syndrome.
Nevaeh is learning how to communicate within a bilingual setting at her local Kohanga Reo. She is beginning to use the Makaton sign system, gestures and some speech to support the development of her communication skills (figure 1) in English and Maori.
Gina Robinson, BLENNZ Resource Teacher Vision describes how she has introduced Nevaeh to signing as a communication tool which gives meaning to her language. Continue Reading →
Figure 1 Activity symbols on visual calendar
Molly’s visual timetable
In the classroom, Molly, aged 6, is using a visual timetable as a visual prompt. Each activity has its own symbol and they are placed on a velcro strip so Molly can see what is coming next.
As each activity has its own special equipment, Molly has been gaining skills in finding what she needs, organising the resources around her in a useful way and then putting them away once the task is complete.
Linda Ojala (BLENNZ Resource Teacher Vision) describes how she has worked in partnership with Molly’s family and the education team to support Molly’s management of her own resources for learning. Continue Reading →
