Visual impairment can produce barriers in the range and variety of childhood experiences in mobility and in interactions with others (Lowenfeld, 1975). A person with blindness must compensate by using other sensory modalities to learn form and function as well as to develop the concept formation necessary to permit generalization from the specific to the more general situation. (For example, will the child know that the shape of water is determined by its container?)

To move, a blind person must integrate position sense (orientation) with the ability to move (mobility). In the sighted population, orientation is effortless and automatic. Without sight, orientation and movement require the integration of many subtle auditory, olfactory, tactile, and kinesthetic cues. A congenitally blind child has only these senses with which to work. A person who has been adventitiously blinded relies on the same sensory cues within the context of visual memory of movement and locale.

Mobility may be facilitated with a sighted guide, a guide dog, or a prescription cane. Most blind people use a cane for mobility, although they may rely on a sighted guide in some situations, such as in a crowd. The cane has a white aluminum or Fiberglas shaft. It is fitted by a mobility specialist for height, stride, length, and comfort. The disadvantage of a cane is that it does not protect the person’s upper body from overhanging objects such as branches or signs.

To qualify for a guide dog, a blind person must be 16 years of age or older and in good health, with at least average intelligence and good hearing. A dog is trained to protect the person’s upper body and permits greater speed.

The child with visual and cognitive impairments faces additional obstacles. For example, with a relative lack of concept formation, the child may have learned a route map between two places but be unable to chose an alternative route in the presence of an obstacle.

Socialization represents a child’s maturation from being self-centered to being socially conscious. It includes the acquisition of social skills such as eating and dressing as well as the development of interpersonal relationships. Environmental limitations on a blind child include the inability to recognize nonvisual cues in social situations as well as the reactions of others. These sensory restrictions may foster self-orientation and thereby inhibit normal socialization.


References

Lowenfeld, B. (1975). The changing status of the blind. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.