"It's an independent living skill, but covered with fun!": Prompting At-Home Skill Development for Children with Vision Impairment

Physical Education and Sports for People with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness: Foundations of Instruction. Lauren L. Lieberman, Paul E. Ponchillia, and Susan V. Ponchillia. New York: AFB Press, 2013, 396 pp., $49.95 paperback, $34.95 e-book and ASCII, $30 online, $10.95 by chapter. Physical Education and Sports for People with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness: Foundations of Instruction, Lauren Lieberman, Paul Ponchillia, and Susan Ponchillia, is a unique and comprehensive work that addresses a critical need in the field of visual impairments and deafblindness. Providing appropriate access to physical education activities for people with visual impairment, blindness, and deafblindness has long been a concern for professionals in our field. Many service providers are unsure of methods for including their students and clients. They, along with physical educators and others who provide sports and active experiences to children and adults, are skeptical about appropriate inclusion, and are wisely concerned with safety issues. Parents of those with visual impairments and deafblindness can also be included in this group of skeptics, as they struggle with understanding what their family members can or should do in terms of physical activity. The authors have provided a well-written guidebook for physical education teachers and specialists in the field, as well as valuable information for parents and others who encounter people with visual impairments and deafblindness in their programs. This is a valuable work that should become a required textbook for anyone entering the fields of visual impairment, deafblindness, or physical education. It should also be considered a handbook for parents, to answer their questions about modification and inclusion in physical activity and to present appropriate role models. Throughout the text, readers are provided with stunning examples of the accomplishments of people who are visually impaired or deafblind. These descriptions are intended to clear the misconception that people with disabilities cannot be successful or competitive in sports, and also to provide inspiration to cultivate and maximize the potential of those who are disabled. The authors also intersperse the book with vignettes that illustrate the results when intervention is not provided and, conversely, the effects of appropriate accommodations. These illustrations are priceless, as they can be applied and compared to the readers' own experiences with people who are disabled in order to inspire positive change. OVERVIEW OF IMPAIRMENT AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT The book begins with a thorough discussion of visual impairment and deafblindness, providing an overview of these disabilities with useful definitions of specific eye conditions and deafness, as well as descriptions of various professionals in the field. This information would be especially useful for physical education professionals who may have limited knowledge of the field of visual impairment. The authors provide information from their own experiences and from well-referenced articles, studies, and position papers, outlining the impact these disabilities have on concept development. As explained by the authors, desire and motivation to move are fostered by early and continued observation of others in our environment. Much of early skill development falls into this category of incidental learning, and is missed by those with visual or hearing impairments or both. Family members and teachers who do not know adaptive techniques may unintentionally exacerbate the situation, by not providing opportunities for young individuals to participate and develop skills or by not fostering a desire for physical activity and self-advocacy. The authors strive to provide strategies for overcoming these barriers to developing lifelong physical health, by explaining the need for physical activity, describing case studies that show the results of lack of activity, as well as appropriate interventions, along with principles for adapting sports, activities, and training. …

Background: Blindness is a major health problem, and there is an increasing trend of visual acuity impairment among children in developing countries. Vision loss in childhood has serious implications in all stages of a child's growth and development. It poses social, educational and occupational challenges, with affected children being at greater risk of developing behavioural, psychological and emotional problems, lower self-esteem and poorer social integration. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of visual impairment among children in Nigeria. Method: A systematic review of papers published on the prevalence of visual acuity impairment among children in the country was carried out. We covered works published in Google Scholar, PubMed, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, and African Journals Online. Primary search terms included the combination of the following keywords; “prevalence”, “visual acuity”, “visual impairment”, “children”, “Nigeria”. The database search for published articles was done without date restriction till 1st December 2021. The review was restricted to primary research published in English and peer-reviewed journals. Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria out of the 56 studies reviewed. In Nigeria, the prevalence of visual acuity impairments ranged from 1.7% to 26.1%. Conclusion: The prevalence of visual acuity impairment among children in Nigeria is in epidemic proportions. There is a need to pay attention to proper health education; early detection and appropriate management of impaired vision to fight against this health disorder.

Being congenitally deaf-blind dramatically affects person's ability to communicate. It is well known that the development of social interaction and communication is important for the development of children and adults who are congenitally deaf-blind, and the development depends on the skills of partner (such as teacher of students with visual impairments, teacher of students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and parents) in deaf-blind communication (Janssen & Rodbroe, 2007; Nafstad & Rodbroe, 1999; Rodbroe & Souriau, 1999). It can be hypothesized that cognitive function is related to the communicative abilities of the person who is congenitally deaf-blind and his or her communication partner. Limited communicative abilities may affect the cognitive function of the person who is congenitally deaf-blind. No research has been conducted on congenital deaf-blindness and cognitive function, but research on people with acquired deaf-blindness has reported decreased cognitive function compared to people without or with only visual or hearing impairment. Laforge, Spector, and Sternberg (1992) found, after adjusting for age, sex, and cognitive status, that persons who had visual impairments or both visual and hearing impairments were 2.5 and 3.5 times, respectively, more likely to experience functional decline than were unimpaired older adults. In large study of 6,112 women aged 69 and older, Lin et al. (2004) found similar odds of reduced cognitive function (2.19) for women with combined visual and heating impairments compared to women without impairments. The odds of reduced cognitive function for women with visual impairments alone were only 1.78, and hearing impairment was not associated with reduced cognitive function. No studies have investigated if the higher rate of reduced cognitive function is related to communicative abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship, if any, between communicative abilities and cognitive function among persons who are congenitally deaf-blind. In 2003, the Danish Resource Centre on Congenital Deaf-Blindness published Aging Processes and Late Manifestations in Adults Who Are Congenitally Deaf-Blind in Denmark using questionnaires distributed in 2000 to 58 persons with congenital deaf-blindness. Different hypotheses of specific medical and psychosocial symptoms were discussed, but evaluating cognitive function was not the aim of the study, and no conclusions could be made. This study is new and updated version of the 2003 publication, including larger number of participants and new clinical experiences about cognitive function among people who are congenitally deaf-blind. This article focuses on cognitive function among people who are congenitally deaf-blind, in general, not on delayed manifestations in any group with specific etiology, such as rubella syndrome (see Sever, South, & Shaver, 1985, for review). Delayed manifestations among individuals with rubella syndrome constituted separate aspect of the study and will be published in separate article. THE STUDY Participants All 123 people in Denmark aged 18 and older who were known to be congenitally deaf-blind were included in the study. The Scandinavian definition of deaf-blindness was used: a combined vision and hearing disability [that] limits activities of person and restricts full participation in society to degree that requires that society compensates by means of specific services, environmental alterations and/or technology (Nordisk Lederforum, 2007). The participants were recruited from an updated national survey from 2004 (Danish Resource Centre on Congenital Deaf-Blindness, 2004; see also Dammeyer, 2010) using screening method devised by Andersen and Rodbroe (2000). Questionnaires were distributed to all 123 individuals by mail. Six persons were omitted from the study because they (or their guardians or committees) did not want to participate. …

The newest generation of professionals in the field of educating learners who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) have both preservice training and an abundance of professional materials to assist them as they work to address the early intervention and specially designed instructional needs of the youngest children with visual impairments, those from birth through 5 years of age. University preparation programs in visual impairment address the professional competencies that professionals need to provide education services across the life span from birth to 21 years. Federal grants from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) have supported the development of both preservice (for example, the Early Intervention Training Center for Infants and Toddlers) and inservice (for example, Vision Impaired Inservice in America, VIISA) modules or training resources for services for young children (birth to age 5) who are visually impaired. There are a plethora of books and resource materials that detail research-based findings for the developmental trajectory of young children who are visually impaired, as well as evidence-based interventions and family-support strategies. The field of visual impairment has a long and proud history of providing educational services to children under the age of the 5 years. Such services began before the U.S. federal mandate (that is, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA) for Part B services for school-age children with disabilities, including preschool-aged children, and later Part C services for infants and toddlers with disabilities. These specialized early educational services were offered traditionally by entities who worked exclusively with children who are visually impaired. Today, the field of visual impairment has evolved to expect the timely provision of specialized and visual impairment-specific early intervention services and supports as soon as a young child is diagnosed with early-onset visual impairment. Or do barriers still remain to early intervention services? It is important to ask whether every family of a child newly diagnosed with a congenital or early-onset visual impairment has access to a certified teacher of children with visual impairments and a certified orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist. For that matter, are all children diagnosed with visual impairments as early as possible to ensure the soonest possible medical interventions and referrals for specialized early intervention services? Are the visual impairment experts well trained enough in early childhood education that they can differentiate practices that are appropriate for infants and toddlers from those that are appropriate for preschoolers or those that are appropriate for kindergarteners or older children? The life span of birth to age 21 has many unique phases of development that are described in the research of Piaget, Erickson, Vygotsky, and other recent theorists of early neuroscience-based learning. Early childhood and early childhood special education are fields onto themselves. As such, practitioners need considerable knowledge to offer family-centered and developmentally appropriate practices that address and support routines-based interventions in natural environments that include the unique and important early intervention services and supports that are needed by infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. It is simply not enough to understand the effect of and general intervention needs related to pediatric vision loss when working with young children with visual impairments. Teachers of children with visual impairments and certified O&M specialists, in roles as early interventionists, need to first understand general child development, then the potential impact of vision loss on the development of children, and, most importantly, the need for individualized supports for children and families based on their priorities, culture, and self-identified needs. …

BackgroundLanguage and communication difficulties of young children with visual impairment (VI) are ascribed to intellectual disability, multiple disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rather than their sensory impairment. Consequently, the communication difficulties of children with VI may have been underestimated and undertreated.ObjectivesThis report aims to critically appraise recent peer reviewed literature relating to communication and language development in children with VI.MethodA systematic search of the literature (2003–2013) was completed using the PRISMA guidelines, and primary and secondary search phrases. Nine publications were reviewed in terms of the strength of recent evidence. Thematic analysis was used to describe the early language and communication characteristics of children with VI.ResultsAll the selected articles (n = 9) were from developed countries and participants from seven of the studies had congenital VI. Five of the studies received an evidence level rating of III while four articles were rated as IIb. Two main themes emerged from the studies: early intervention, and multiple disabilities and ASD. Language and communication development is affected by VI, especially in the early stages of development. Speech-language therapists should therefore be included in early intervention for children with VI.ConclusionRecent evidence on the early language and communication difficulties of children with VI exists, but children in developing countries with acquired VI appear to not be investigated. The identified language and communication developmental characteristics may assist speech-language therapists to build a knowledge base for participation in early intervention for young children with VI and their families.

How do professionals address accountability mandates that are derived from the No Child Left Behind Act and the overall educational needs of students who are visually impaired during the school day? Meeting state and federal mandates while maintaining the individuality of educational programs is challenging for all educators. Teachers of students who are visually impaired and certified orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists may be affected even more as they search for an approach that allows them to address the subject areas of both the general education curriculum and the expanded core curriculum (ECC) in both the classroom and students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Professionals in the field of visual impairment know that the ECC is a critical component of students' education and development (Hatlen, 1996, 2003). We also know that it is important both to teach the skills required in each of these areas in isolation and to generalize them within other ECC areas and ultimately within the community. When teachers of students with visual impairments and classroom teachers collaborate on the ECC areas and aligning them with the state standards creates an opportunity to address not only the general curriculum, but also the educational needs that arise from the visual impairment itself during the school day and in IEPs. This collaborative approach does not exclude teaching the ECC areas in isolation, but provides an additional avenue through which the ECC could be integrated into a student's day. This report offers one perspective on how to create a more balanced curriculum for students who are visually impaired by demonstrating a systematic approach to aligning state standards with the ECC, thereby bridging concepts and promoting additional avenues for integration of the ECC into the school day, and using the aligned concepts to generate meaningful, applicable, and appropriate IEP goals. ALIGNING STATE STANDARDS AND THE ECC The core curriculum addresses skills that all students, sighted or visually impaired, are expected to achieve by the time they graduate from high school (Ahearn, 2005). In most states, the core curriculum consists of language arts, mathematics, health, science, fine arts, social studies, economics, business education, vocational education, and history. Students who are visually impaired receive the same curriculum that is available to their sighted peers. However, for students to acquire proficiency in these subject areas more equitably, teachers of students with visual impairments and certified O&M specialists must provide adaptations and instruction in developmental skills and concept areas that are impeded because of the students' disability. The ECC consists of instructional areas that address skills and concepts that are unique to visual impairment: compensatory or access skills, social skills, recreational and leisure skills, O&M skills, independent living skills, assistive technology and technology skills, career education, sensory efficiency skills, and self-determination (Hatlen, 1996, 2003). Aligning state standards with the ECC may ultimately provide a more supportive bridge between development of concepts and demonstration of proficiency for students who are visually impaired. Collaborating with general education teachers in public schools is always essential and could ultimately build a more productive partnership between these teachers and teachers of students with visual impairments. The process of aligning the standards with the ECC is as follows: First, the teacher of students with visual impairments or the certified O&M specialist determines which academic goal from the state standards he or she or the general education teacher will address in the classroom or resource room. Second, the teacher of students with visual impairments analyzes what the goal's true intent is by its key words. Third, the teacher of students with visual impairments or a related specialist determines which ECC areas and concepts the student needs to develop before he or she can address the intent or concept of the goal. …

Teaching and writing to students with visual impairments--Whose job is it? is a very complex question. I am tempted to change the question a bit. Instead, I would like to ask, is responsible? in which case, I could discuss the responsibilities of school administrators (at the school and district level), state departments and provincial ministries of education, and the federal government and the responsibilities they have to recognize and appropriately fund services for students who are visually impaired. I could talk about the responsibility of teachers to put into place appropriate instructional plans and set up effective educational teams, as well as the responsibility of parents for advocating and supporting their child's literacy development during early childhood and throughout school. When considering the central question of this Perspectives column, we need to examine what is meant by reading instruction. In this context, instruction and are interchangeable terms, so the question can be answered based on what I believe about who should teach to students who are visually impaired. The answer might be different for students who are visually impaired and read than for those who are visually impaired and read braille. There are several techniques that can be categorized as teaching methods, and direct instruction is one of them. Also included in the list of methods are discussions, simulations, experiments, field trips, practice, and role-play activities. Some, or all, of these methods could be used in the course of instruction, but the central question of this column is: Who provides direct instruction in to students with visual impairments? Can we separate the braille code from the of for children who are learning beginning in braille? We cannot and should not make such a separation. Yet, even in schools for blind students, there are distinctions between the teacher who teaches and the teacher who teaches braille. Are these distinctions made because most educators learned braille as a code after knowing how to read in print? Is because we overemphasize the braille code because is different and unique? The squiggly lines, straight lines, and circles that make up letters also constitute a code for representing spoken language, but sighted educators are so familiar with that code that seems ridiculous to refer to as a code. Although much work is done in the early years by children who are sighted in letter identification and production, would be very strange to put these children in a print class that was separate from a and writing class. DOES IT TAKE A VILLAGE? I am also tempted to take the easy road (and, frankly, the correct road) and say that instruction is not just the job of one person, that the development of (and writing) skills takes a team. First and foremost, the parents of a child with visual impairment play an early and ongoing role in their child about books, and reading, and loving reading. Second, the child's classroom teacher is a key participant in a child to read and write. Third, the child's teacher of students with visual impairments has an important role to play. But, answering the question, Whose job is it? from the perspective of the it takes a village model makes me feel quite uncomfortable, because this answer begs other questions, such as takes primary responsibility for making sure that the team works effectively together? Or is accountable? or is in charge of the village? These are legitimate questions that speak to the very crux of the matter of Whose job is it? My answer is that instruction for students with visual impairments is the job of a person who possesses all of the following characteristics: * Creativity, flexibility, and other personal characteristics of a good teacher. …

BackgroundVisual impairment refers to a deficiency in one or more functions of the visual system, while hearing impairment refers to a loss of auditory function, defined either by its impact on communication and daily activities or by clinical thresholds of hearing ability. Individuals with these disabilities encounter various challenges including limited educational opportunities, restricted access to academic resources, and delays or shortages of support services. This study aimed to provide data for improving the health and well-being of individuals with visual or hearing impairments by analyzing health education interventions using classification criteria of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).MethodsThe scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology and adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, organizing research questions by population, concepts, and contexts. Data included studies on health education interventions for individuals with visual or hearing impairments, sourced from Cochrane, Ovid MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. A specific search strategy with relevant keywords was used. The selection focused on intervention studies evaluating the effects of the intervention for these individuals globally. Two researchers independently reviewed full-text articles and extracted data into a standardized table, with results summarized using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe literature search identified 3,168 articles, 34 of which were selected for analysis (19 concerned individuals with visual impairments, while 15 studies concerned individuals with hearing impairments). Health education interventions for the visually impaired mainly focused on skill acquisition and development, primarily delivered through face-to-face sessions. Healthcare providers predominantly facilitated these interventions within healthcare institutions. Similarly, health education interventions for the hearing impaired primarily focused on acquisition and development, mainly through face-to-face interactions. The dropout rate in the interventions ranged from 0% to approximately 50%. Outcome variables included physical function, psychosocial factors, behavior-related variables, and knowledge-related variables derived from the ICF in both cohorts.ConclusionsThis scoping review presented an examination of tailored health education interventions for individuals with visual or hearing impairments. Delivered largely through face-to-face sessions by healthcare providers, these interventions focused on skill acquisition and development, addressing physical function, psychosocial factors, behavior-related changes, and knowledge improvements. The wide range of dropout rates revealed barriers such as accessibility and sustainability. These findings emphasize the need for innovation and targeted strategies to improve the effectiveness and inclusivity of health education programs.

Visual impairment in infancy: impact on neurodevelopmental and neurobiological processes

We developed the TechArm system as a novel technological tool intended for visual rehabilitation settings. The system is designed to provide a quantitative assessment of the stage of development of perceptual and functional skills that are normally vision-dependent, and to be integrated in customized training protocols. Indeed, the system can provide uni- and multisensory stimulation, allowing visually impaired people to train their capability of correctly interpreting non-visual cues from the environment. Importantly, the TechArm is suitable to be used by very young children, when the rehabilitative potential is maximal. In the present work, we validated the TechArm system on a pediatric population of low-vision, blind, and sighted children. In particular, four TechArm units were used to deliver uni- (audio or tactile) or multi-sensory stimulation (audio-tactile) on the participant's arm, and subject was asked to evaluate the number of active units. Results showed no significant difference among groups (normal or impaired vision). Overall, we observed the best performance in tactile condition, while auditory accuracy was around chance level. Also, we found that the audio-tactile condition is better than the audio condition alone, suggesting that multisensory stimulation is beneficial when perceptual accuracy and precision are low. Interestingly, we observed that for low-vision children the accuracy in audio condition improved proportionally to the severity of the visual impairment. Our findings confirmed the TechArm system's effectiveness in assessing perceptual competencies in sighted and visually impaired children, and its potential to be used to develop personalized rehabilitation programs for people with visual and sensory impairments.

The article highlights the problem of studying the emotional development of school-age children with hearing and vision impairments. The aim of the study is to study the emotional development of school-age children with hearing and vision impairments. The methodological basis of the study was the position that the emotional system is one of the main regulatory systems that provide active forms of the bodyʼs life, as well as personality-activity, practice-oriented, polysensory approaches to teaching people with sensory impairments. The study used theoretical methods (study and analysis of psychological, pedagogical, scientific, methodological and educational literature), empirical methods (analysis of survey results, test diagnostics, projective methods). The scientific novelty of the study lies in the designation of a set of methods for studying the emotional development of school-age children with hearing and vision impairments, their adaptation, taking into account the structure of disorders and approbation, identifying the levels and indicators of the emotional development of school-age children with bisensory impairment. As a result of the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, a diagnostic complex for studying the emotional development of school-age children with hearing and vision impairments was created, consisting of specially adapted methods, taking into account bisensory impairment, methods successfully tested in the process of a regional study, methodological recommendations for the application were developed. this complex. It has been proven that, thanks to carefully selected diagnostic tools, it is possible to identify the levels of emotional development of children with hearing and vision impairments and determine the optimal vector of emotional development. The research materials will be of interest to teachers-defectologists, psychologists, bachelors, undergraduates, graduate students.

ObjectiveTo assess long term neurodevelopmental outcomes of children born at different gestational ages, particularly 32-33 weeks (moderately preterm) and 34-36 weeks (late preterm), compared with 39-40 weeks (full term).DesignNationwide cohort...

PurposeVisual impairment in childhood can have a profound impact on child's development, restricting social life and limiting physical and educational opportunities. This study assessed the prevalence of visual impairment and associated risk factors among school‐age children living in Kashatagh, Artsakh.MethodsThe researchers recruited 454 school‐age children from seven urban/rural schools in 2016. The structured questionnaire included questions about socio‐demographics, frequency of visiting ophthalmologist, ocular health and vision acuity. All children underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination including measurement of visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction and dilated eye fundus examination. Visual impairment was defined by a presenting visual acuity <6/12 with or without correction in the better eye. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.ResultsChildren's mean age was 11.1 (3.28), ranging from 6 to 19 years. About 55% participants were girls. The majority of children never visited ophthalmologist (86.1%). The prevalence of presenting visual impairment without correction and with available correction in the better eye were 6.0% and 4.6%, respectively. After best correction, all visually impaired cases improved their vision to ≥6/12. The majority of visually impaired participants had myopia (55.6%). In the adjusted analysis, age (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.04–1.44), female gender (OR = 3.33; 95% CI: 1.07–10.3) and frequency of visiting an ophthalmologist (OR = 11.8; 95% CI: 4.35–32.2) were associated with presenting visual impairment without correction. Visually impaired children more frequently visited an ophthalmologist compared to those with no visual impairment.ConclusionsCorrectable visual impairment is a major problem in this sample. All visually impaired cases improved their vision to ≥6/12 after best correction in the better eye. School‐based vision screening programs and provision of spectacles can decrease visual impairment in school‐age children.

Social interaction plays a crucial role in early childhood development, promoting key skills in communication, cooperation, and emotional growth. This research examines how the layout of classroom furniture impacts social interaction among visually impaired preschoolers in an inclusive setting at All‘bout Montessori School in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. The study focuses on how specific furniture arrangements affect essential aspects of social engagement, including verbal and non-verbal communication, cooperative play, conflict resolution, and helping behaviours between visually impaired and sighted children. With limited literature addressing the physical environment’s influence on social interaction in inclusive classrooms, this research fills an essential gap by investigating how intentional design can support the social needs of visually impaired children. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to explore these dynamics comprehensively. Qualitative observations were conducted to document real-time social behaviours, while structured interviews with teachers and questionnaires from parents provided additional insights. Data collection centred on three primary zones in the classroom: sensory, study, and play areas, each designed to serve different interaction and learning purposes. Ten preschoolers who are visually impaired and sighted, three teachers, and five parents participated offering a diverse perspective on how the spatial layout influenced social behaviour across various classroom activities. Findings revealed that the sensory zone, specially tailored for visually impaired children, promoted higher levels of engagement and facilitated meaningful interactions, bridging gaps in communication with sighted peers. Tactile, auditory, and olfactory cues within this zone enabled children with visual impairments to navigate the space comfortably, resulting in increased interaction through shared experiences. This sensory-rich environment stimulated non-verbal communication and cooperative behaviours, with sighted children guiding their visually impaired peers in discovering and using objects within the space. This aligns with existing research on sensory inclusion, affirming the importance of multi-sensory design in promoting inclusivity. Conversely, the study zone, configured for solitary work, was less conducive to social engagement, highlighting the need for balanced space design to support both individual learning and collaborative activities. While the study area allowed focused learning, it offered fewer opportunities for social interaction, indicating that inclusive classrooms benefit from flexible zones that encourage both solitude and group activities. Literature on classroom design similarly emphasises the importance of collaborative spaces to support social development in children with disabilities. The play area provided a semi-structured layout that effectively supported spontaneous social interactions, cooperative play, and role-playing activities accessible to both visually impaired and sighted children. Here, sighted peers were often seen guiding visually impaired children in play activities, promoting inclusivity and empathy. The play area allowed for skills in turn-taking, role negotiation, and conflict resolution to emerge naturally, reinforcing findings from prior studies that emphasise the value of unstructured play for developing social skills, particularly in inclusive environments. This cooperative play environment was particularly effective in creating a sense of community among children, underlining the need for inclusive classrooms to facilitate diverse learning and play zones that promote social cohesion. This research provides valuable insights into how specific furniture layouts can impact the social interactions of visually impaired preschoolers. By designing accessible spaces that cater to various interaction levels, educators and designers can better support inclusivity and social development in early childhood settings. Furthermore, this study establishes a foundation for future research on inclusive classroom design, particularly in sensory-rich environments that promote interaction across different abilities. The findings suggest that educators should consider multi-sensory elements when designing inclusive classrooms, ensuring that children with diverse needs can engage fully with their environment and peers. In conclusion, this research underscores the significance of purposeful furniture layout in promoting social engagement and inclusivity for visually impaired preschoolers. The sensory, study, and play areas each contributed uniquely to the children’s social experiences, demonstrating the importance of diverse, accessible classroom designs. These insights not only fill a gap in the literature but also offer practical recommendations for creating inclusive learning environments that stimulate meaningful social interactions. By implementing design strategies that prioritise accessibility and sensory engagement, educators can cultivate classroom spaces that build up the social and educational experiences of all preschoolers, regardless of ability

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