ISSN 2289-2745 Volume 2 • 2012

2627-09-WKl

The official journal of the National Association of Special Education, Malaysia

• HEARl G IMPAlRME T

Aznan Che Ahmad, Mohd Zurl Ghani & Salizawatl OmarUnderstanding Malay Hand Sign Language (KTBM) AmongHearing Impaired Students

• VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Loh Sau Cheong, Haslee Sharif Lim Abdullah, Farrah Dina .Yus~p,Ahmad Shamsuri Muhamad, Chong Sheau Tsu~y & C~u Shl WelChallenges Among Individuals with Visu.al Impairment In anInstitution of Higher Learning in Malaysia

Ahmad Shamsuri Muhamad & Poh Li, Lau . .Penyesuaian Kepada Kehilangan Penglihatan dan Sikap AhliKeluarga Dalam Kalangan Golongan Buta Dewasa

• GIFTED EDUCATION

Grace Annammal alp Gnana Piragasam, Rosadah Binti Abd. Majid& Zalizan Binti Mohd. JelasAnalisis Pengukuran Rasch Dalam Penilaian Instrumen IndeksRingkas Aktualisasi Diri

Abu Yazid Abu Bakar & Noriah Mohd IshakProfil Isu Psikologi, Mekanisme Bela Diri dan Pola KeperluanKaunseling Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Pintar dan Berbakat:

Satu Kajian Kes

• TEACHER TRAINING

Haznurab Zainon & Mohd Zuri Ghani. .Tekanan Emosi Guru Pendidikan Khas di Sekolah Integrasi

88

99

108

115

127

138

Professor Dr. Sufean HussinEditor in Chief

Editor's Preface

The Journal of Special Needs Education, vol. 2, 2012 is the second issue by thePersatuan Pendidikan Khas Kebangsaan, or the ational Association of SpecialEducation from Malaysia. This second issue comes with a new journal title, areplacement of the first issue, namely the Journal of Special Education.

The Journal of Special Needs Education invites articles from concernededucators and parents in the area of special needs education from all over theworld. It is published annually. Articles submitted can be of any nature, such asresearch-based, experience-based, a review of books, a conceptual paper, a meta-analysis of past articles, and a review of conference papers. This wide variety ofarticles is to serve a diverse range of readers for this journal. To further enhancethe quality of the journal, we invite interested academicians from all over theworld to join us either as a member of the international advisory board, editorialboard, article reviewer, or manuscript contributor.

In this second issue, the Editorial Board has proposed eight themesfor inclusion, namely: Reading Disorder and Communication, LearningEnvironment, Inclusion Practice, Counselling for Special Needs, HearingImpairment, Visual Impairment, Gifted Education, and Teacher Training. A totalof twelve articles have been included in this journal.

In the Reading Disorder and Communication section, Akila Sadasivan,Julia J. Rucklidge, Gail Gillon, and Malavika Kapur revealed the role ofexecutive functions in improving reading accuracy in Indian children withreading disorder. Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin and Abu Bakar Nordin investigatedthe levels of communication levels in families of children with intellectualdisability and identified some variables influencing those levels.

In the Learning Environment section, Hazreena Hussein looked at howchildren with special educational needs and their adult carers engage withattributes in a sensory garden during their literacy session.

For the Inclusion Practice section, Sufean Hussin, Loh Sau Cheong,and Quek Ai Hwa explored the success of inclusion practice through smartpartnership between non-governmental organisations and the government.

In the section on Counselling for Special Needs, Quek Ai Hwa aimed tocreate awareness among career counsellors in: (1) understanding the integrationof values for facilitating clients with disabilities in the counselling process;and (2) using this insight for enabling clients to integrate into their societyas productive and valued individuals. In another article, Hanani Harun RasitHasnah Toran, and Salleh Amat identified the level of implementation as well asvarious hindrances faced in their implementation for both the counselling service

Gunning, T. G. (2008). Creating literacy: Instructionfor all students (6th ed.).New York, NY: Pearson.

lung, v., & Short, R. H. (2002). Organization of successive events during social_emotional interactions between infants who are deaf or hard of hearing andcaretakers: Implications for learning syntax. Volta Review, 10, 69-92.

Lederberg, A., & Everhart, V. (2000). Conversations between deaf children andtheir hearing mothers: Pragmatic and dialogic characteristics. Journal ofDeaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5, 303-22.

Malaysian Ministry of Education. (1985). Komunikasi Seluruh Bahasa MalayuKod Tangan: Jilid 1. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Marschark, M., Sapere, P., Convertino, C., Mayer, C., Wauters, L., & Sarchet,T. (2009). Are deaf students' reading challenges really about reading?American Annals of the Deaf, 154, 357-370.

Moeller, M. P. (2000). Early intervention and language development in childrenwho are deaf and hard of hearing. Pediatrics, 106(3),43-53.

Mohd Zuri Ghani, & Aznan Che Ahmad. (2011). Pengantar Pendidikan Khas.Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Nittrouer, S., & Burton, L. T. (2001). The role of early language experience inthe development of speech perception and language processing abilities inchildren with hearing loss. Volta Review, 103,5-38.

Schum, R. L. (2000). Developing social skills in elementary school children.Volta Voices, 7, 14-18.

Shahrul Arba'iah Othman. (2001). Implikasi penggunaan Kod Tangan BahasaMelayu terhadap pencapaian perbendaharaan kata dan ejaan di kalanganpelajar bermasalah pendengaran tingkatan 2 di Kuala Lumpur. KertasProjek Sarjana. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Yoshinaga-Itano, C. (2003). Early intervention after universal neonatal hearingscreening: Impact on outcomes. Mental Retardation and DevelopmentalDisabilities Research Reviews, 9, 252-267.

Writz, C., Gardner, R., Weber, K., & Bullara, D. (1996). Using self-correction toimprove the spelling performance of low-achieving third graders. Remedialand Special Education Journal, 17(1),45-58.

CHALLENGES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH VISUALIMPAIRMENT IN AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER

LEARNING IN MALAYSIA

Loh Sau Cheong, Haslee Sharil Lim Abdullah, Farrah Dina Yusop,Ahmad Shamsuri Muhamad

University of MalayaMalaysia

Chong Sheau TsueyUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Malaysia

Chu Shi WeiDika CollegeMalaysia

Students with disabilities face physical, social, and emotional barriers intheir postsecondary education. Some barriers may include obstruction inthe :n.vir~nment,. lack. of awareness in the university community and peerp~rtlclp~tlOn.. ThIS article explores the experiences and challenges faced by:lsually impaired students in a public university in Malaysia. The article delvesl~to the f:el~ngs ~nd aspirations of the students as they study in the University. Itgives an mSlgh~ into t~e lives of the students with disabilities and how they copethroughout their stay in the university.

Keywords: Visu~1 impairment, challenges faced by visual impaired, instituitionof higher learning

Postsecondary education is an important transition towards attaining a:~~ces.sful. ~~ulthood and positive employment outcomes. Although students

h disabilities have shown a greater participation in postsecondary d tith . . ... e uca IOn,e rate o~ students ~Ith dlsa?liJtIes enrolled in postsecondary institutions are

below their peers Without disabilities (Powers GI·l Kashi b GP , - rwa ara, reenenowers, Balandran, & Palmer, 2005). The involvement . t darvd .. . In pos secon aryegree courses IS a critical part of the transition process ti I t d j hI di . . h D· biliti Ed s IpU a e In t en ividual Wit isa I ities ucation Act 2004 (IDEA) Th A d.. . e ct man ates thatapproprIate support services need to be provided for stude t ith di biliti. .. n s WI Isa I itresIn postsecondary education settmgs to enable the t I·· . .. f m 0 ive In an inclusivecommunity. Attamment 0 post-secondary education· ft ..IS 0 en a transition goal