Preschoolers With Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities: Using Universal Design for Learning and Differentiation

70 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. 24, No. 2, June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250620922205 DOI: 10.1177/1096250620922205 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2020 Division for Early Childhood Ms. Medina (a bilingual Spanish–English general education preschool teacher) and Mr. Young (a certified teacher in early childhood special education) co-teach a class of 20 children that includes six preschoolers who receive special education services. Because these two teachers have had very limited experience with children who have visual impairments, they wonder about how best to teach two newly enrolled preschoolers. Three-year-old Ximena has developmental delays, hearing loss, and visual impairment associated with Down syndrome. Four-year-old Sihan was born at 24 weeks gestation age and has a significant vision loss from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and mild cerebral palsy. Both classroom preschool teachers have met the following itinerant consultants: a certified teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) who is dually certified as an orientation and mobility specialist (COMS), a certified teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (TSDHH), a speech and language pathologist (SLP), an occupational therapist (OT), and a physical therapist (PT). Ximena and Sihan receive related services through a push in model within classroom activities. The TSVI provides 922205 YECXXX10.1177/1096250620922205YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. XX, No. X, Month XXXXPreschoolers With Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities / Chen and Dote-Kwan research-article2020