What care needs might individuals with cognitive physical or sensory impairments have

What are the definitions and classifications for students with sensory impairments?
Sensory impairment may include a student who is blind or visually impaired, deaf or hearing impaired, or is deaf-blind (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).  
What are the key characteristics of students with sensory impairments?
Characteristic include:

• Total of partial loss of vision
• Total or partial loss of hearing
• Loss of significant degree of both hearing and vision
• To qualify for special education, hearing and or vision loss must interfere with normal learning ability (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011 p. 346)

Sensory impairment does not effect the cognitive skills of a student. However, some students with sensory impairments also have cognitive impairments. A sensory impairment will affect how the student accesses information and ultimately learns (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011). 
What is the prevalence of different types of sensory impairments?
The number of children receiving services, under IDEA, for sensory impairments are:

• Blind or visually impaired: approximately 29,000
• Deaf or hearing impaired: approximately 78,000
• Deaf-blind: approximately 1,300 (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011)

What are the appropriate educational approaches for students with sensory impairments, and what are some important curriculum areas?
Early intervention is very important for children who have sensory impairments. For children who are deaf or hearing impaired, early intervention will help to improve speech and language development. The critical period of language development happens before a child turns three, therefore it is very important for children who are deaf or hearing impaired to receive early intervention services as early in life as possible.  
In preschool, children will learn pre-academic skills, they will practice communicating with other children, and they may learn American Sign Language (ASL). Only 47% of students who are deaf or hearing impaired spend the majority of their day in the general education classroom. Students who spend the majority of their day in the general education classroom usually see a traveling specialist teacher who visits the student in order to support him/her with the general curriculum. The traveling teacher and the general teacher work together to meet the student's individual needs. The following is a list of strategies for the general teacher to follow:

• Always face the student when presenting information
• Allow the student to choose his/her seat in the classroom
• Remember that the student's speech translator only facilitates communication and does not provide instruction
• Provide visual aids to support instruction
• Assess the student's background knowledge and be aware of gaps in knowledge that could affect learning
• Avoid ambient noise and noise distractions. A classroom amplification system may help a student with a hearing impairment

Early intervention services will help a child who is blind or visually impaired achieve milestones and begin their learning of basic concepts. During the first year of life, the majority of learning takes place through repetition and exploration. Children who are blind or visually impaired need help in learning how to use gross and fine motor skills. Once children enter school, most receive their education in the general classroom and receive services from a teacher who has been trained in teaching students who are blind or visually impaired. The general education teacher can help the blind or visually impaired student by using the following strategies:    

• Allow the student opportunities for tactile exploration by providing models, realia, and other hand-on teaching aids.
• Designate a space for the student to store specialized equipment such as assistive/adaptive technologies
• Give verbal descriptions of visual information, make the student aware of transitions, and other changes to his/her environment
• Make adjustments to lighting and increase the size of print if needed
• Allow the student to chose his/her seat in the classroom (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011)

What are some major issues related to educating students with sensory impairments?
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) recommends that children who are deaf learn American Sign Language (ASL) and communicate with others, including peers who also use ASL. Therefore, NAD believes it would be more appropriate for these children to attend schools where they are immersed in an ASL setting, not a general education classroom.

Advocates for those who are blind have as similar feeling. Some believe students who are blind do better in specialized residential schools dedicated to helping students who are blind thrive in academics and in everyday life (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011).

How can you help someone with a sensory impairment?

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What are physical and sensory impairments?