Sensory and/or Physical - understanding primary needs
Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support.
Sensory Impairments:
Visual impairment
Visual impairment refers to a range of difficulties from partial sight through to blindness. Pupils with visual impairments cover the whole ability range. A pupil is VI if they require adaptations to their environment or specific modification or differentiation of learning materials to access the curriculum.
Hearing impairment
Hearing impairment ranges from those with a mild hearing loss to those who are profoundly deaf. They cover the whole ability range. Pupils are regarded as having a hearing impairment if they require hearing aids, adaptations to their environment and/or teaching strategies to access the concepts and language of the curriculum.
Multi-sensory impairment
Multi-sensory impairment refers to a combination of visual and hearing difficulties. Children are sometimes referred to as deaf blind but may have some residual sight and/or hearing. Many also have additional disabilities but their complex needs mean that it may be difficult to ascertain their intellectual abilities.
Specialist support for sensory impairment in Redcar and Cleveland is delivered by STARS service - STARS Sensory Support Service, known as STARS, is funded by the council to provide hearing and/or vision support for learners (0 -25 years). The STARS team have qualified teachers who are specially trained in supporting learners with hearing and/or vision loss.
Physical Disability
Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
There is a wide range of physical disabilities and pupils cover the whole ability range. Some pupils can access the curriculum and learn effectively without additional educational provision. They have a disability but do not have a special educational need. For others, the impact on their education may be severe. Similarly, a medical diagnosis does not necessarily mean that a child has SEN, it depends on the impact the condition has on their educational needs. There are several medical conditions associated with physical disability which can impact on mobility, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy.