Feeling art: teaching art to the visually impaired.

Research shows that students learn in unique ways and benefit from instruction on varying degrees of audio, visual, and hands-on methods. Some students rely on one learning mode, while others need all three for complete comprehension. Most students take the visual approach for granted, using it only to reinforce the audio, or merely to duplicate a concept without benefit of complete understanding. The visually impaired have no choice but to rely on the audio and hands-on.

Using a tactile and spatial approach, art can be taught successfully to the visually impaired. Every lesson should have its own set of instructional aids created in relief form. Make verbal instructions concise and clear. Allow each lesson to evolve on its own unique path to the finished product, even if it is not the traditional route.

Successful Approaches

Students can learn specific techniques of feeling art with their hands and gliding across the artwork as if reading Braille, allowing relief and collage to become alternative routes to many wonderful lessons. When developing a curriculum for the visually impaired, make a rich art experience the highest priority. Focus on the audio and tactile learning modes, involve as many media as possible, and find alternative ways to fulfill all the state-mandated objectives in each lesson. Although it takes time to meet these objectives, you'll be rewarded with success.

Materials Suggested for Use

Some materials become invaluable in teaching the visually impaired such as glue sticks, air-dry clay, and wax-covered yarn sticks. Using tag board instead of construction paper forms a sturdy background that can handle the weight and moisture of glued down air-dry clay, paint, or cut paper shapes. You will also need a shallow tray large enough to accommodate background papers.

Before beginning an in-depth lesson for the visually impaired, certain art vocabulary and basic cognitive skills need to be verified, such as geometric shapes and how to create them in three-dimensional forms. Many of my lessons refer to long cylinders or "snakes" that can be flattened to form outline shapes, and spheres that can be flattened, shaped, or cut into designs.

In lieu of a typical demonstration, go one-on-one, using your hand as a guide, holding the student's hand as you explain the concepts. Begin by feeling the outside shape of the background with them, showing and explaining spatial relationships of the materials. Let them examine any finished examples, shapes or stencils to be used, taking mental note of any curved or straight edges. Let this procedure become routine.

Cubist Relief Art Lesson

Pablo Picasso's Cubist style, composition, and overlapping were explored during a traditional fourth grade class. It also focused on Picasso's popular themes of musicians and musical instruments. The adapted lesson used tag board as the background for added strength, construction paper, air-dry clay, glue, and watercolor paints.

Procedure

First, allow the visually impaired student to hold the stencil shapes of the guitar pieces as Cubism is explained. Use references such as putting a puzzle together, but mixing up the pieces. Using the language of art, describe with detail the different parts of a guitar, emphasizing line types and shapes.

Stage 1: The starting position needs to be horizontal to give the student easier access to the entire page, and the student places the guitar shapes in a pleasing composition. This placement should include overlapping, but should not extend off the page. Encourage the student to feel the negative spaces and try several arrangements before gluing them down with a glue stick.

Stage 2: The student makes "snakes" from the clay with their choice of color, and creates outlines of guitar shapes. The shallow relief of the cut paper allows the student to create more accurate representations. Students can lay the snakes over the paper shapes or create them on their own. The snakes can then be flattened out and placed on the background.

The visually impaired student may need assistance applying liquid glue to these shapes before placing them. The air-dry clay creates a unique relief affect in the lesson, and also can serve as a border to help aid in the painting stage.

Stage 3: The students glue the artwork to a colored background of their choice, then mount it again on larger paper for better presentation. The final stage involves watercolor paints. The paints and water cup are placed inside the shallow tray, always in the same position, such as the cool colors closest to the student and the warm colors at the far end, near the water container.

Through experience, students discover approximately how many strokes it takes to run out of paint in a typical shape before needing to replenish. Students should feel the position with one hand, and adjust or glide as the paint is applied, allowing them to take mental note of where they have painted. The slight relief of the paper and the higher relief of the air-dry clay function as a guide to help them decide where the paint should go and it also adds to the design. Encourage a wet-on-wet approach for easier application of the paints and a more expressive quality.

The final product is a mixed-media Cubist design that integrates art with art history, as well as music. The lesson also increases understanding of the visually impaired and diversity awareness within the classroom.

Marisa J. Main teaches elementary art in the Cabell County Schools in West Virginia and serves as adjunct faculty at Marshall [e-mail]