ABSTRACT
Estimates of the number of children and young people with multiple disabilities who have a vision impairment vary enormously in different national contexts. In many countries children with multiple disabilities will be categorised simply according to whatever is considered to be their main disability. For children and young people with diverse needs, meaningful learning will usually require relatively close physical contact with learning partners. The ability to engage in exploration through active touch gives individuals an important element of control over their learning experience. The broad term ‘tactile strategies’ is applied to the range of approaches used to support the learning through touch of learners with complex needs, such as hand-under-hand support and touch-speech cues. Adults and professionals therefore have to carefully navigate the space between any experience that may be gleaned by more directive movements and the limited experiences that can be gained without additional support.
