Nichcy Disability Fact Sheet - Visual Impairments, Including Blindness
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8Visual Impairments,
including Blindness
A publication of NICHCY
Disability Fact Sheet #13
November 2012
Julian’s Story
Julian’s Story
Julian’s Story
sent by the weaker eye, resulting
about the world around us—
Julian’s Story
Julian’s Story
in permanent vision problems in
people’s faces and the subtleties
When Julian was almost two
that eye.
of expression, what different
years old, he developed this
things look like and how big they
Julian took good care of his
adorable habit of closing one eye
are, and the physical environ-
glasses, but he didn’t take well to
when he looked at you. It almost
ments where we live and move,
the patch, unfortunately. He
seemed as if he were winking.
including approaching hazards.
ripped it off every time his
The possibility that Julian had a
parents put it on…and back on...
When a child has a visual
visual impairment didn’t initially
and back on again. So today his
impairment, it is cause for
occur to his parents, but when
eye still turns inward if he doesn’t
immediate attention. That’s
Julian’s right eye started crossing
wear his glasses.
because so much learning typi-
inward toward his nose…
cally occurs visually. When vision
V V V V V isual Impairments
isual Impairments
isual Impairments
isual Impairments
isual Impairments
Off they went to the eye
loss goes undetected, children are
doctor, who confirmed that, yes,
in Children
in Children
in Children
in Children
in Children
delayed in developing a wide
Julian had a visual impairment—
range of skills. While they can do
Vision is one of our five
amblyopia, often called “lazy eye.”
virtually all the activities and
senses. Being able to see gives us
As the most common cause of
tasks that sighted children take
tremendous access to learning
vision problems in children,
for granted, children who are
amblyopia is the medical term
visually impaired often need to
used when vision in one eye is
learn to do them in a different
reduced because that eye and the
way or using different tools or
brain are not working together
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materials.
Central to their
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properly.
Julian was also very
learning will be touching, listen-
farsighted, especially in the eye
ing, smelling, tasting, moving,
he’d taken to closing.
and using whatever vision they
is the
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have.
The assistance of parents,
Soon Julian had a brand-new
National Dissemination Center
family members, friends,
pair of durable glasses suited to
caregivers, and educators can be
for Children with Disabilities.
his active two-year-old self. The
indispensable in that process.
eye doctor also put an eyepatch
More will be said about this in a
NICHCY
over Julian’s better eye, so that he
moment.
1825 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
would have to use the weaker eye
Washington, DC 20009
and strengthen its communica-
1.800.695.0285 (Voice / TTY)
tion with the brain. Otherwise,
202.884.8200 (Voice / TTY)
the eye doctor said, the brain
would begin to ignore the images
Disability Fact Sheet #13 (FS13)
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