Educational Needs (Low Vision)

My buddy Meredith left this handout for classroom teachers. I thought it was worth sharing. Keep Meredith in your prayers. She had a disabling condition which affected her legs. She retired after 23 years of working with children with visual impairments. When she tried to apply for disability she was informed that she should have done so before retiring. Now on top of missing her kids terribly, she has physical and financial woes.

Educational Concerns and Needs for Students With Visual Impairments

The visually impaired student should be able to explain his/her visual needs. The student will let the teacher know when the print is too small or when he can’t read the board. He can then move closer to the object, use a magnifier or monocular, another student can carbon copy the notes, or the Teacher for the Visually Impaired can enlarge the materials.

Avoid embarrassing the student by drawing continual and undue attention to his/ her needs. He/she should be able to move closer to the board as needed. Allow the student to hold books and objects close to his eyes. This will not harm the eyes and often tilting the head and other body posturing can enhance the vision.

Most students with nystagmus (where the eyes move back and forth) have a null point. The student looking to one side or the other so eye movement is reduced and vision is therefore improved achieves the null point. This is why the angle of vision is very important.

Other helpful strategies recommended by Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and East Baton Rouge Pupil Appraisal include:

• Provide the student with his/her own book, worksheets, and materials. Sharing is very difficult if not impossible.
  
• Enlarging material will often help, although good contrast with a regular-sized worksheet may suffice. Make sure that any photocopied work is good quality, and not fuzzy, blurred, or faint at the edges.
  
• Wall displays required for reference should be placed at eye level and where the student can stand close to them (not above a filing cabinet or table for example).
  
• Ask where he/she would prefer to sit. He/she may want to sit facing near the board, but it may be better to sit to one side. He/she should be offered positions close to demonstrations during activities and be allowed to move where he/she can see best.
  
• Store magnifiers, monoculars, large-print books and other optical aids where the student can have easy access and can use them when he/she judges they will be helpful.
  
• Allow use of prescribed tinted glasses, caps, hats, or eyeshades to reduce the effects of glare.
  
• Read aloud when writing on the board. Describe diagrams, charts, and other materials that may be too far for the student to see.
  
• Allow sufficient time for the visually impaired student to complete tasks and to examine materials and objects. For example, if a task or test will take thirty minutes, allow the visually impaired student to take 45 minutes to an hour. Generally, the amount of time for an average visually impaired student to complete tests is one and one half to two times more to equal the amount of time that a student without visual impairments has to complete his work.
  
• Good (not necessarily bright) lighting is essential. The light source should be behind the student and directed on to the object being viewed. Matted surfaces for walls, boards, and paper prevent light refection and glare.
  
• Use strong color contrast between letters/ figures/lines and background. These should be well—spaced.
  
• A piece of dark card or a finger may help to keep track of where he/she is when reading.