Service user: Kyle (not his real name)
Specific need: Visual impairment from both eyes
Service provider: Langdon School
Visual impairment is a term experts use to describe any kind of vision loss, whether it's someone who cannot see at all or someone who has partial vision loss.Some people are completely blind, but many others have what's called legal blindness. They haven't lost their sight completely but have lost enough vision that they'd have to stand 20 feet from an object to see it as well as someone with perfect vision could from 200 feet away. (Bibliography{1})
I have chosen to investigate a person with specific needs as I attend a fully inclusive school which cares for children who are able bodied and with a range of specific needs. The service provider is Langdon School. I concentrated my research on the LBS department but have also looked at the way the whole school meets my service user’s needs. My service user is 14 years old, and he is visually impaired from both eyes. Due to confidentiality I have to change his name so I’m going to be naming him Kyle. Kyle lives with both of his parents and his older brother, he is Christian. Both of his parents’ work, his mum works part time in their local supermarket Tesco’s as she has a flexible contract she doesn’t have to worry about getting home on time when Kyle is coming back from school. His dad is working full time in HSBC bank; he works Monday-Saturday, 5-9. He attends Langdon secondary school, Kyle is a very independent student and he has always taken part in all school activities. Kyle’s specific need is permanent and is has caused him learning difficulties. All the reading which Kyle does has to be adapted (the font of the size has to be a size which is big enough that Kyle can read without any difficulty). Kyle has an Action plan which was provided by the visually impaired service which is strictly followed. Kyle can lose focus really quickly at school and always needs a member of staff from the SEN (special educational needs) department with him to stay on task; he may choose to play one person off against another in terms of support. I asked the Service provider if it was ok for me to ask them a few questions so I could use it to complete my work and narrow down my research.
Physical needs
Kyle is visually impaired. He is 14 years old and is going through puberty, as he is going through puberty he needs a good healthy diet and a lot of exercise. Kyle will need a lot of protein and carbohydrates as he is a growing boy and he needs all the nutrients he can get at a young age. Exercise is also very important for Kyle, eating will not just help Kyle without regular exercise. If Kyle doesn’t eat healthily and exercise regularly Kyle can become overweight which can affect him in the long term. As Kyle is going through puberty hygiene is very important for him and it is important he washes everyday.
Intellectual needs
Intellectually Kyle needs help with his reading if the font size is too small, besides the problem with the font size Kyle needs constant attention as he can lose focus very easily, as Kyle needs constant attention it can be very disrupting for his peers. Kyle may choose to play one person off another in terms of support. Kyle needs a member of staff from the SEN department so it can be less disruptive for his peers and the class teacher, as Kyle loses focus easily he misses out on a lot of learning this is an advantage for him to have member of SEN staff with him at all times, this is because the SEN staff can explain to him what he has missed and there is a less chance of him losing focus as it is one-to-one.
Emotional needs
Like other teenagers Kyle also has emotional needs, most of the emotional needs are met by his family. His family have always been supportive and has always encouraged him to do well in his studies. Kyle likes the encouragement he gets from his older brother as he wants to be exactly like him. Kyle