Blindness Awareness Activity Pack

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Blindness Awareness Activity Pack Copyright © 2015 BadgeFreaks®

This Activity Booklet has been designed for ages 5 to 25 All the activities are age coded as below It is suggested that each age group should complete the total amount of activities in order to qualify for the badge

Activity suitable for 5 years and older (3 Activities) Activity suitable for 7 years and older (4 Activities) Activity suitable for 10 years and older (5 Activities) Activity suitable for 14 years and older (6 Activities)

RP - Fighting Blindness This activity pack has been produced to raise awarness and funds for RP Fighting Blindness.

This activity pack is also available as a free download and in a contrasting black/yellow from both Guiders.co.uk and BadgeFreaks.com Embroidered badges are available at just £1 each with 25p going to RP Fighting Blindness (Charity No. 1153851).

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Learn Braille The Braille system is a method that is widely used by people who are visually impaired to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.

Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. He wanted to help the blind children. So he devised this Braille language. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each. A dot may be raised at any of the six positions to form sixty-four possible subsets, including the arrangement in which no dots are raised.

NB: This is just a sample of braille.

The full version includes numbers, charicters and some words

Using a braille alphabet, write some names using a pencil to make the dots first – leaving plenty of room between each letter. Go over the pencil marks with white glue, acrylic paint, or nail varnish to make raised dots. Once the names are dry, try reading the names with your fingers.

Make your braille names on a folded piece of paper so that you can easily check what the name was. Make a game to test others.

Download a Free Braille Font: http://www.fontspace.com/category/braille

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Walking Aids Invite a guide dog to the unit and learn about the work they do The Guide Dogs for the Blind association is a UK charity they provide mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people. They also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, educate the public about eye care and fund eye disease research.

You can raise money for the Guide dogs and invite a representative to your unit to learn how to treat guide dogs and how much training goes into their care For more information, facts such as how much a dog costs and book a speaker find details at www.guidedogs.org.uk Download lots of resources and teaching aids from: http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/microsites/guide-dogs-in-school/ DOGS GUIDE IZ QU

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning all about Guide Dogs and the work we do to help blind and partially-sighted people. Let’s see how much you’ve remembered by taking part in the Guide Dogs quiz.

1.

How does a guide dog help a blind or partially sighted person get around?

2.

Who looks after a guide dog puppy and gets them used to buses, shops and family life?

3.

Name two things a guide dog learns to do when he goes to Guide Dog Training school.

4.

Name something else that the charity Guide Dogs does to help blind and partially-sighted people.

5.

What toy must not be given to a guide dog and why?

6.

What colour is the harness of a qualified guide dog?

7.

What is the name of the system that helps blind people to read by touch?

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How can blind people read email?

9.

What can you do to protect your eyes in the sun?

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Name three things that may trip up or get in the way of a blind person and their guide dog on the street.

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- Quiz - Posters - Templates - Lesson Plans

www.guidedogs.org.uk/guidedogsatschool

Task: Set out a number of barriers and obsticles within your hall and a path winding through from one side to another. be careful to make sure it is safe to bump into!

1. Memorise the course for 1 minute then walk to the other side while blindfolded.

2. Without knowing the course infront of you beforehand try and walk through with a seeing guide and without.

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Colour Blindness Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under normal lighting conditions. Color blindness affects many people in a population.

"Color blind" is a general term; there is no actual blindness but there is a fault in the development of one or more sets of retinal cones that perceive color in light and transmit that information to the optic nerve. Color blindness is usually a sex-linked condition.

Example of an Ishihara color test plate.

An Ishihara test image as seen by The numeral "74" should be clearly visible subjects with normal color vision and by to viewers with normal color vision. Viewers those with a variety of color deficiencies with dichromacy or anomalous trichromacy may read it as "21", and viewers with achromatopsia may not see numbers.

1. Research the types of colour blindness (i.e. protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia) 2. Make a list of everyday problem someone may encounter (i.e. traffic lights, identifing certain objects such as fruit) 3. Conduct some colour tests such as an Ishihara above

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Raise Funds for Charity By raising funds for a blindness charity you are helping to support people ithat need it and help fund the much needed research in this area.

1. Raise some money and create your own JustGiving page, choose a charity such as RP-Fighting Blindness 2. Or raise funds and add it to our JustGiving Page You can now get people to donate using their phones by texting a code and the amount.

Our RP one is RPFB88 to 70070:

Here are some ideas of how to raise funds: - Bring-and-Buy Sale or Auction - Create a Challenge and Badge - Bag Packing - Tea/Coffee Morning - Sponsored Run or Walk - Collect empty cans - Sell crafts - Prize Raffle - Fundraising Dinner - Make a Calendar - Cake Baking - Quiz/Karaoke Night - 50/50 Raffle - Design and Sell T-Shirts (shirtcity.com) - Recycle your Mobile Phones - Christmas Cards and Decorations

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To: 70070 RPFB88 £5

Health and Prevention Healthy Eye Tips These tips will help protect your vision and keep your eyes as healthy as possible.

1. Always wear sunglasses outdoors 2. Stop smoking 3. Eat a balanced diet, especially fruits and vegetables rich in lutein and zeaxanthein and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish 4. Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar within healthy limits 5. Limit alcohol beverages (which dehydrate your body, including your eyes) 6. Exercise 7. Maintain a healthy weight 8. Reduce eye strain by: - using antireflective coatings on computer screens and glasses - working and reading in well-lit rooms 9. Always wear appropriate eye protection when playing sports, mowing the lawn, working with tools, using household chemicals, etc.

10. Keep regular appointments with your optician to monitor your general eye health

Task: Eye care and early detection of poor vision are always important.

Please read the above healthy eye tips and create a poster or leaflet to share them with all your friends and family.

More Information: www.eyecaretrust.org.uk - more information and tips of good eye care www.nhs.uk - find a local optician (also wales.nhs.uk and psd.scot.nhs.uk

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Lighthouses Playing Lighhouses Blindfolded As a visually impaired person it is important that you have good trust in others and also increased awareness of your surroundings. This game allows you to realise what it may be like to rely on others and also to increase your other senses. the ship, the rocks may make splashing noises if they are approached.

To Play: You will need one blindfold.

Choose one person to be the Lighthouse and one to be the Ship.

All the rest of the girls should be Rocks.

The ship must be blindfolded and stood at one side of the room.

The Lighthouse must be at the opposite end holding a torch. The rest of the girls must crouch down in random order like Rocks. The ship must get from their base to the lighthouse without stepping on a rock. The Lights must be dimmed and the torch can aid the ship, the rocks may make splashing noises if they are approached.

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Which Job? Thinking about what jobs someone with Blindness can do.

As a group create a mindmap or brainstorm what jobs you could do if you were visually impaired.

What jobs would be difficult?

What equipment would make a job easier?

What help can be obtained if you do have visual impairment?

What could you do if you were discriminated against in your career due to visual impairment?

School How could a teen with RP do their schoolwork and cope with school?

Think about your school and the layout.

How would a person with visual impairment cope at your school?

Can you suggest ways that it can be improved?

How would the pupil deal with school work?

Chat as a group about ideas.

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Communication...

How would you use a Phone if you can’t see the buttons?

You will need to use a mobile phone with actual buttons which should have a little bump on Number 5. (iPhone won’t work) Dial numbers on a phone blindfolded. In groups test each other to dial a few mobile numbers and test how well each person does. Then once you have the hang of it perhaps type a text message.

You can also do this on a computer, feel for a small bump on the F and J keys. Try typing an email without looking.

Visualise Retrieve items from a bag by feel only This is a version of kim’s game but using a bag and feel only. Place some familiar objects into non see through bags and then in groups ask girls to describe what they think is in the bag or try and draw it. For older girls perhaps place more confusing objects in the bag.

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Play Futal Play Blind Football Football 5-a-side, also known as futal and blind football, is an adaptation of football for athletes with visual impairments including blindness. The sport, governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is played with modified FIFA rules. The field of play is smaller, and is surrounded by boards. Teams are reduced to five players, including the goalkeeper, per team. Teams may also use one guide, who is positioned off the field of play, to assist in directing players. The ball is equipped with a noise-making device to allow players to locate it by sound. Matches consist of two 25-minute halves, with a ten-minute break at half-time.

As a group, try this sport blindfolded. Afterwards players should describe to their group how they felt when playing it.

Experiences Visually impaired family and characters and friends Ask all participants to recall any experiences they have had of blind or vision impaired people and to write down three that made the greatest impression. Experiences could include living with a blind or vision impaired family member, having a blind friend or even coming across a blind character in a movie or a book or watching the Paralympics.

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Everyday Tasks Make a sandwich and a cup of (luke warm!) tea blindfolded.

Using items borrowed from the RNIB you can see how the aids can help a blind person.

The RNIB is a charity that provides people with Visual impairment and blindness with support and counselling. They also provide equipment that helps people cope with everyday situations.

As a group ask if you can borrow equipment for use around the kitchen and using these complete some tasks blindfolded.

Afterwards talk about how it went.

The Eye Create a paper mache model of the Eye (or draw a diagram) Using a diagram of the eye make a 3D Model of the eye.

If you wish to make it a cross section this is even better!

Find out about lots of different eye conditions other than RP Each patrol or group can make a poster about the condition to raise awareness http://www.childrenseyefoundation.org

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Poverty and Child Blindness Learn about blindness in developing countries, what causes it and what help is available, e.g. Charities Key facts - 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision.

- About 90% of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries.

- Globally, uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of visual impairment; cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness in middle- and low-income countries.

- The number of people visually impaired from infectious diseases has greatly reduced in the last 20 years.

- 80% of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured.

Create a poster or a booklet about this issue and what we could do in the Uk to help eg Donating old glasses

Find out about World Sight Day and Vision 2020 World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired held on the second Thursday in October.

World Sight Day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is also the main advocacy event for the prevention of blindness and for "Vision 2020: The Right to Sight", a global effort to prevent blindness created by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Find out all about this and what can be done to raise awareness.

More Information: www.v2020.org - VISION 2020 is the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness.

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An embroidered badge and pin button are available to accompany this activity pack from www.BadgeFreaks.com 25p from the sale of each badge will be donated to RP-Fighting Blindness (see BadgeFreaks.com for further details)

Thank you for supporting us

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