Providing a Multicultural Education for Students with Visual Impairments

Abstract

This article examines how general education teachers can incorporate strategies for teaching students with visual impairments about multicultural education. Students who have visual impairments do not have the same learning advantages as other students, so it is imperative that teachers understand how to differentiate instruction for these students. Students with visual impairments may have minimal vision while others may be completely blind, so teachers must learn about the students’ backgrounds and specific characteristics of their disability. Aural and tactile strategies are important for improving these students’ conditions for learning. Utilizing multiple senses during instruction improves the quality of education that students receive. Students with visual impairments all into one of the twelve disability categories of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Hulett, 2009); therefore, teachers must follow legal guidelines for satisfying the educational and developmental needs of students with visual impairments. The following article specifically lists strategies for teaching students with visual impairments and suggests a lesson activity that combines both multiculturalism and these strategies. Teachers can implement this lesson idea as well as the general teaching strategies when providing an appropriate education to students with visual impairments.