Multiply handicapped children with impaired vision

Abstract

This article deals with the population which finds itself at the very margins of all social happenings. The population in question refers to multiply handicapped, vision impaired children, that is to say children which in addition to having visual impairment are also mentally retarded, have impaired hearing, cerebral paralysis, hyperkinetic syndrome and are autistic too. The extent of their handicappedness may differ and it does not mean a summary of different types of handicaps but rather a new quality of personality requiring special methods of rehabilitation. The basic aim in the work with such children is to get them to function as independently as possible. Presently there are 14 multihandicapped children with visual impairment included in the educational program in the primary and secondary education school "Milan Petrovic" in Novi Sad, 52 of them are included in the school for children with impaired vision "Veljko Ramadanovic" in Zemun and 29 of them attend the primary school "Dragan Kovacevic" in Beograd. These schools have formed special classes for mentally retarded children with impaired vision where they are taught according to programs for lightly mentally retarded children in combination with some special methods, like literacy skills instructions using Braille alphabet. Children with physical handicaps, hearing impairment, hyperkinetic syndrome and psychoses are put in classes together with children who have visual impairment only and follow regular schooling programs. The majority of these children have the capacity to learn/be educated (data taken from the school psychological-pedagogical service). The exact number of multiply handicapped visually impaired children is not known. The most important issues are how many children are deprived of acquiring academic knowledge and which, according to records, are not included in the educational system in our country. On that account it would take much more than mere recording of their number, namely improving the education of professionals and planning of rehabilitation programs for multiply handicapped visually impaired children. Methods of work need be brought up to date, new programs applied and all respective routines of special schools adjusted to the needs of their users.

Višestruko ometena vizuelno oštećena deca imaju velike teškoće funkcionisanja u socijalnom polju. Najčešće se nalaze u institucijama zatvorenog tipa i specijalnim školama. Vrlo je moguće da u Srbiji postoji određeni broj višestruko ometene vizuelno oštećene dece koji nije uključen u obrazovni sistem (prema podacima Saveza slepih Novog Sada u pitanju je 20 dece, a prema podacima Saveza slepih Novog Pazara, taj broj je 8) ili da se znatan broj dece školuje u specijalnim školama za druge kategorije ometenosti (u zavisnosti od procenjenog vodećeg oštećenja), a stepen oštećenja vida je različit i kreće se od niske slabovidosti do potpune slepoće. U školama za decu oštećenog vida, deca sa višestrukom ometenošću školuju se u posebnim grupama ili odeljenjima. Najčešće su to grupe dece sa oštećenjem vida i lakom mentalnom retardacijom. Primenjuju se nastavni planovi i programi za decu sa lakom mentalnom retardacijom i planovi i programi za decu sa oštećenjem vida. Broj dece sa oštećenjem vida i umerenom mentalnom retardacijom obuhvaćen programima rada u specijalnim školama je mali. Neophodno je uključivanje višestruko ometene vizuelno oštećene dece u obrazovni sistem u skladu sa njihovim potrebama i mogućnostima putem primene individualizovanih nastavnih programa. U radu sa ovom decom nemoguće je oslanjati se na postojeće školske programe za decu sa npr. lakom mentalnom retardacijom ili sa oštećenjem vida. Tretman bi trebalo planirati u skladu sa detetovim mogućnostima, u cilju postizanja maksimalnog funkcionisanja, kombinovanjem različitih programskih sadržaja, metoda i postupaka. Neophodno je u programe uneti sistematsko učenje dnevnih veština, jer sve dok dete može da uči, treba da uči, a pod tim se mora podrazumevati i učenje da brine o sebi, da se obuče, samostalno jede. Prema rezultatima prikazanih istraživanja vidimo da raste broj dece sa višestrukom ometenošću i da je stepen ometenosti sve teži. Savez slepih Srbije niti bilo koja druga organizacija ili institucija nema evidenciju koliko u našoj zemlji ima vizuelno oštećene višestruko ometene dece.