Task:Skim
through to read a little more about Low
Vision.
Very
few of us without disabilities stop to consider how we use our vision
during the course of our days. We just take these abilities for
granted and go about our business. Yet without this sensory channel,
we would be significantly disadvantaged (at least temporarily) as
we attempt many of the tasks we routinely perform throughout our
daily lives. In this activity, I am going to ask you to examine
what the impact of a visual
impairment would be on our activities of daily living.
Directions:
1. Choose an activity you routinely perform throughout your day
(the best activities to use for this assignment are daily living
tasks such as dressing, hygiene, eating - all non-dangerous tasks).
2.
Perform the task using your vision. Note how you use your vision
during this task.
3.
Repeat the task without vision (close your eyes or squint) and note
what other senses you relied upon to successfully complete the same
task.
Discuss:
1.
What task did you choose?
Getting
up from bed, going to the bathroom, washing my face
2.
What did you use your vision for when you completed this task?
I used my vision for:
- finding
my slippers
- finding
my way to the bathroom (without hurting myself)
- turning
on the lights in the bathroom
- turning
the faucet on, letting the water run
- positioning
my hands directly below the faucet
- washing
my face: finding my face with my hands full of water
- turning
off the faucet
- finding
the towel to wipe off my face
3. When you repeated the task without
vision, what other senses did you rely upon for information?
Touching
(most of the time), hearing
Note:
I have been living in the same apartment for the last 3 years but
when I did this activity, I realized that when I close my eyes,
the rooms (the bedroom and bathroom) are completely new and strange
places for me. It took me much longer to wash my face when my eyes
were closed. Also I was scared to hurt myself during my voyage from
my bedroom to the bathroom.
Submitted
by Yesim Yilmazel-Sahin on October 17, 2003.
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