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1 Background
The Norwegian Educational
System for the visually impaired
The Act of Elementary School
Education, enacted in 1969, gives all children a right to have free and
appropriate education in their local communities. The basic idea of the
law is equality and equal rights and worth of all persons. The responsibility
for providing the education for handicapped pupils has been transferred
from the national government to the local authorities/muncipalities. In
1997 a new Act of Education will give all Norwegian pupils a right to 10
+ 3 (4) years of free education.
Today all visually impaired children, the totally blind and some of the multi-handicapped are living at home. They attend their local school and go to ordinary classes or kindergartens, some go to local special institutions.
Two primary school teachers per class (up to 28 pupils) normally will get the responsibility for teaching all lessons. The blind pupil`s week is expanded by 2-6 lessons to assure the education and training in special techniques, like mobility and orientation, and ADL. Through the system of two teachers in the classroom, as much as possible of the blind pupil`s programme is placed within the frame of the classroom and together with classmates. Under supervision of the Centre the teachers of the blind pupils plan the education on the basis of an individual curriculum for each pupil every half year.
Implications: Need for teachers! This increase of integrated school programmes has increased the demand for teachers educated to meet the needs of pupils with visual impairments. Today they are taugt by regular classroom teachers or special teachers. Although the professional education for teachers in Norway has improved in the last years, very few blind pupils are taugt by Special Educators for the Visually Impaired. But the number of special teachers has increased and almost every school has one or more. The programme at teachers colleges is extended to four years after graduating upper secondary school and with obligatory special education in the syllabus. The teachers in charge of blind pupils are invited to courses at the two Norwegian National Resource Centres.
2. Present Functions of the Tambartun National Resource Centre
From residential school to a modern resource centre The Tambartun Centre has developed from a traditional residential school to a modern national resource centre. Today no pupils are resident while a staff of 80 people of different professions serve nearly 700 persons with visual impairment in west and north Norway.
Objectives of the Centre The main objectives have been formulated in the following two points: 1. To establish services to contribute to the fulfilment of the needs of each individual child in his or her local school and home environment. All services are to be provided on request from the local authorities. 2. To gather and distribute information, and to acquire and share expertise and knowledge in the field of visual impairment.
The Centre offers courses to - visually impaired pupils/persons - parents - kindergarten personnel - personnel of pupils who are multiply handicapped - personnel of pupils diagnosed with NCL/Batten syndrom - teachers of partially sighted pupils - teachers of blind pupils
3. Teaching Braille to Parents and Regular Classroom Teachers of the Blind Pupils
Pre-Braille stimulation Giving the blind child early tactile pre-braille stimulation as well as awareness of books and literature is of great importance. These are the objectives of parent courses as well as of the courses for teachers of preschoolers.
Course before primary school starts The parents, the kindergarten teacher, the regular classroom teacher or the special teacher are offered a local course/workshop the year before the child goes to school. The advisors from the Centre and the staff of the local kindergarten are working together to make an individually adapted curriculum for the primary school for each pupil, based on observation/assessment of that particular child in the local kindergarten and on the special needs of blind pupils in general. Among the subjects of the course for parents and the staff are: Teaching blind pupils, Braille readiness and mathematic readiness, mobility and orientation. Outreach services from the centre.
The classroom teacher or special teacher of the primary school are responsible for starting the formal Braille education of the blind child. This may happen in the kindergarten if the child is ready. So far, the blind child starts learning Braille almost one year ahead of his or her seeing classmates.
Course in the year the blind child goes to primary school (at 6 years) The child, the parents, the regular classroom teacher and/or the preschool teacher of the blind child are invited at the same time to courses at the centre, before the child starts in his or her regular primary school. At this course, the child goes to classes where for instance mathematics readiness, reading and writing readiness are assessed. This is done by his or her preschool teacher or classroom teacher from the home school, under supervision by professionals at the Centre.
Main subjects of this parent course are: - practicing Braille reading and writing, mobility and orientation, ADL - information about their child and Braille readiness and mathematics readiness, integration, sosial adjustment and leisure time activities
Assessing the pupils in 5 th. grade and coursing the teacher and the parents For about ten years the Centre has offerered courses including comprehensive educational assessment of the pupils in 5 grade, giving feedback and following up the teachers and the parents. The pupils, parents and teachers are given separate courses. Some of the subjects are common for the parents and teachers, though the number of lessons may differ. Main subjects: - Braille rules, Braille reading techniques, contracted Braille - mathematics with abacus, mathematics with Perkins Brailler and PC, geometrical drawing kits - computers and computer Braille, tape recorders - maps - sex education - M&O, ADL - Workshop on social integration and leisure activities
These courses will be changed and the pupils will be invited to courses every year at either of the two Norwegian Centres.
4. The General Teacher Training Course at The Tambartun Centre
The course can be divided into special groups to meet the individual demands/needs of the participants. The Curriculum of a Two Weeks Course: The general part: - Blindness - Methods of teaching blind pupils the different subjects in a group of sighted pupils - Practicing Braille reading and writing - Mobility and orientation techniques, practicing - Social and educational integration of blind pupils - Mathematics with abacus - ADL tecniques/adjustment to daily living, crafts - How to use (and not use) the nature and the environment - Teaching aids: Adapted Braille paperprint books, electronic Braille/computer books, computers, tape recorders, etc.
The primary school part: - Reading readiness, mathematics readiness - Practicing crafts, physical education - Workshop on the individual curricula of the pupils
The secondary school and upper secondary school part: - Mathematics with abacus, Perkins Brailler and PC - Contracted Braille, Braille notes - Natural science - Physical education - Computers
5. Follow up Visits/ Councelling by Teacher Advisors/Case managers
Each pupil in the responsibility of the Tambartun Centre has his or her own casemanager/teacher advisor. The teacher advisor visits the pupils and knows the needs of each pupil very well. This is of great importance when courses are planned and makes it possible to adapt the courses individually. The teacher advisors are responsible of the teacher courses and parent courses of the Centre.
6. Conclusions
It is considered that the Tambartun Resource Centre so far has succeeded in developing programmes for meeting the unique and individual needs of pupils with visual impairment. The parent and teacher training programmes of the Centre are constantly improved to meet the needs of the pupils, their parents and teachers.
In 1996 the services of the Centre were evaluated. The parents, the local pedagogical/psychological services and the schools were all satisfied with the course programmes.
The programmes are significant contributions to ensuring that all children actually obtain their rights to education in their local community, their adolescence in their own homes, their belonging to a local communities, equal living conditions, and a higher quality of life.