Children with blindness and visual impairment face specific developmental challenges that affect their learning, orientation, work and social interaction. Because of limited incidental learning and learning through observation and imitation, it is crucial for children with blindness and visual impairment to deliberately and systematically introduce the learning of independence skills. In the master’s thesis, the concepts of blindness and visual impairment are presented along with their impact on the child’s development, independence and the approaches, strategies and adaptations used when working with persons who are blind or visually impaired, as well as the importance of learning environments in developing independence.
The master’s thesis addresses the research question of how the introduction of planned training of selected skills using evidence‑based practices influences progress in the development of these skills in children during the summer camp. A mixed research approach was used, combining quantitative and qualitative methodology, including a multiple case study, observation and interviews. The sample consisted of three primary school children who were blind or visually impaired, enrolled in a primary school education program with adapted implementation and additional professional support. The implementation of training in selected independence skills was based on evidence‑based practices such as task analysis, visual support, prompting (physical and verbal prompts), and reinforcement (positive reinforcement). The analysis of the results showed the effectiveness of the selected approaches in the summer camp environment in acquiring the selected skills.
Keywords: blindness, visual impairment, independence,
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