Context:  This culture report on Visually Impaired was created for SPE 3000, Learner Diversity, Spring 2007, under the instruction of Dr. Nancy Mamlin. This report includes statistics on visual impairment, tells common stereotypes about visually impaired people, and gives classroom practices that could be employed by teachers to help any child they may have with sight problems.  It also gives examples of books dealing with some form of visual impairment, that could be used in the classroom.  Overall, this culture report is a resource that will enable anyone who uses it to understand visual impairment in students and adults. 

Impact:  Through creating this culture report on visual impairment, I am better able to teach students who have some form of this disability.  It will benefit these students in the sense that they will be better able to achieve in a 'normal' classroom. 

Alignment: 
NCDPI Standards

Standard 14: Elementary teachers develop strategies to address topics that are controversial to diverse groups.

Indicator 5: Teachers discourage prejudice, derogatory comments and stereotypical perspectives by modeling and selecting bias free instructional materials.
A large part of this culture report focuses on literature that can be used to teach classes about visual impairment.  This is a great way to introduce diversity to them, as many students may have never met someone different from themselves.  This culture report also includes biographies on many visually impaired people, who dissolve the stereotypes about 'blind' people with their amazing successes.