Teaching Basic Living Skills, Food Preparation, Home Management, Recreation and Leisure Activities

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Teaching Basic Living Skills, Food Preparation,
Home Management, Recreation and Leisure
Activities

• SPE575 / ECC Fall 2006
• Cynthia A. Carter

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News Flash Current Research and Theories on
Basic Daily Living Skills

• Even in the 21st Century, our society still have
  those preconceived notions regarding the
  proficiency of blind people. (Before I became a
  CTVI, I was one of those people)
• In an article on the TSBVI website, it was noted
  that a reporter ask a prominent blind woman this
  question, What is it that blind people would
  want from society? The woman replied, The
  opportunity to be equal and the right to be
  different.

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Daily Living Skills for the Blind Visually
Impaired

• This area of the expanded core curriculum is
  often referred to as "daily living skills." It
  consists of all the tasks and functions persons
  perform, in accordance with their abilities, in
  order to lead lives as independently as possible.
  
• These curricular needs are varied, as they
  include skills in personal hygiene, food
  preparation, money management, time monitoring,
  organization, etc. Some independent living skills
  are addressed in the existing core curriculum,
  but they often are introduced as splinter skills,
  appearing in learning material, disappearing, and
  then re-appearing. This approach will not
  adequately prepare blind and visually impaired
  students for adult life.

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Theories/Research on Core Curriculum of The Blind
and Visually Impaired

• Historically, many educators behaved as though
  they did not believe that blind and visually
  impaired students had the right to be
  different. The integration (soon to be called
  mainstreaming, then inclusion) of blind students
  into regular classrooms in great numbers,
  beginning in the 1950s, brought with it an era of
  belief that the only need a visually impaired
  students had was adapted academic material so
  that he/she could learn in the regular classroom.
  (No concern for expanded core curriculum)
• Therefore, early efforts to include visually
  impaired students in regular classrooms sometimes
  attempted to provide the opportunity to be
  equal without recognizing the students
  right (and need) to be different
• In the field of education then the move from
  separation to integration is evident.
  Educational provisions for blind children, the
  administration of these educational provisions,
  and teacher preparation, all moved from special
  or separated arrangements to integrated ones.
  This move has been consistently spearheaded and
  supported by legislation. (Lowenfeld, 1975,
  p.117)

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Theories of Daily Living Skills for the Blind
Visually Impaired

• Traditional classes in home economics and family
  life are not enough to meet the learning needs of
  most visually impaired students, since they
  assume a basic level of knowledge, acquired
  incidentally through vision.
• The skills and knowledge that sighted students
  acquire by casually and incidentally observing
  and interacting with their environment are often
  difficult, if not impossible, for blind and
  visually impaired students to learn without
  direct, sequential instruction by knowledgeable
  persons.

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Most Current - Best Practices

• Building Relationship
• Establish a Friends Club Utilize formal and
  informal activities within a semi formal
  structure to promote and increase social
  interaction and recreation while increasing daily
  living skills. (Outreach TSBVI)
• According to Phil Hatlen (TSBVI) one of the bests
  practices for teachers in this field is to assess
  every area of the ECC. This assessment helps to
  discover area of strengths and weaknesses. This
  will give VIs and idea which areas of the ECC to
  begin with.
• Best Practice- Share the Responsibility. During
  observational visits with students and
  consultations with teachers it is important to
  look for those ECC areas. Be aware that some
  needs are more obvious than others. Teachers and
  parents are two of the best resources in finding
  out the childs core needs. (My opinion)

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Practical Suggestions Demonstrations Case
Studies Materials

• Practical Suggestions
• Use these helpful Resources
• DARS/DBS
• Education Service Centers (Daily Living)
• TSBVI (Summer Camps, Weekend Visits)
• Case Study
• The Core Curriculum for the Blind consist of both
  regular curriculum and expanded curriculum
  designed to compensate for the lack of learning
  experiences. (National Agenda (Hatlen Styker
  1996)

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Demonstration

• Demonstrations
• Blind Boys Can Cook Too-
• A high school Jr. with 20/400 OU (legally blind)
  best correction (enrolled in cooking class)
• Training in home living was provided to the
  assistant and the student by ESC.
• Measuring cups, spoons and oven was marked by VI
  Teacher using puff paint.
• Instructions on cutting and slicing and finger
  placing was provided by ESC home living
  instructor.
• Hands free hanging Magnifier was provided for
  student use when using cutting board and
  measuring ingredients
• Yo Yo Magic Elementary Age Student
• Teacher created a lesson plan that would
  incorporate teaching this young student how to
  use a yo-yo
• Once the student was able to manipulate the yo-yo
  on his own,
• The teacher allowed the student to take the yo-yo
  to recess for leisure play it was an instant hit
  with the other sighted peers and opened the door
  for social skills as well as recreational leisure
  pleasure

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Case Studies Materials

• Materials Websites for Teaching ECC
• www.tsbvi.edu
• http//www.tsbvi.edu/recc/index.htm
• http//www.tsbvi.edu/recc/ils.htm
• Assessment materials, curriculum and family
  resources can be found on these sites.
• http//www.ed.arizona.edu/azaer/AZ20Standards20A
  ligned.pdf
• www.afb.com

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Class Discussion

• Open Forum for Discussion-
• Shouldnt daily living skills be taught at home?
  Why or Why not?
• Feedback on Topic
• Share ideas of implementations of Daily Living
  Skills as part of the ECC.