2020 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 53-63
Purpose: The aim of this study was to utilize a frame of reference to teach a congenitally blind student who has shown difficulty in mental rotation how to navigate a room. The study also aimed, through an investigation of the teaching effect and the teaching process, to clarify the characteristics of the child's difficulty relating to orientation and mobility. Method: To encourage understanding of the layout of the room from a variety of locations, a tactile map of the layout of the room was constructed at reference points on each of the room's walls. Result: Before the instruction, the student could understand layout in the room, and to compose an accurate tactile map and to move simply by exploring the room on her own. On the other hand, at the reference point of 90-degree that requires mental rotation, understanding of the orientation of the desk in the center of the room was inaccurate, and it took more instructional sessions than other reference points to be able to construct a tactile map accurately. After the instruction, the student was able to accurately construct a tactile map and move between object's, even at an uninstructed reference point or in an uninstructed room. In addition, the performance of spatial tasks using external reference frames was improved. Conclusion: The study suggests that teaching using external reference frames is effective in enabling congenitally blind children to understand the layout of a room and move around in it.
