Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

Strategies and Considerations

Alecia Lukings, Andrew Webster, Stacey Willis, Jenny Kehoe, Mona Moeen,

Aaron McKinley

Statistics on BlindnessStatistics on Blindness Of 635,000 Canadians with a seeing Of 635,000 Canadians with a seeing

disability; 30,000 were children 14 or disability; 30,000 were children 14 or under.under.

In Canada, there is no national In Canada, there is no national standard for preschool vision screening standard for preschool vision screening preschool children.preschool children.

5-10% of preschool children are 5-10% of preschool children are estimated to have an undetected estimated to have an undetected vision problem. (Robinson, Bobier and vision problem. (Robinson, Bobier and Martin 1999/2000).Martin 1999/2000).

What does this mean?What does this mean? Understand the background of a Understand the background of a

student experiencing vision student experiencing vision problems.problems. Chances are they have more than vision Chances are they have more than vision

to worry about.to worry about. If they have not had blindness since If they have not had blindness since

birth, there will be emotional trauma.birth, there will be emotional trauma.As teachers, we need to understand all As teachers, we need to understand all

the components.the components.

Preparing your Classroom Preparing your Classroom for Visually Impaired for Visually Impaired

StudentsStudents Maintain Maintain

arrangementsarrangements Clear, straight Clear, straight

pathwayspathways Larger desks for Larger desks for

braille materialsbraille materials Minimize glare by Minimize glare by

facing desks away facing desks away from windowsfrom windows

Storage areas Storage areas easily accessibleeasily accessible

Push in empty chairsPush in empty chairs Fully open/closed Fully open/closed

doorsdoors Electrical cords Electrical cords

securely coveredsecurely covered Familiarize students Familiarize students

with potential with potential hazardshazards

Warning strips of Warning strips of tape on edge of tape on edge of stepssteps

Furniture Arrangement Safety Concerns

Designing Bulletin Boards Designing Bulletin Boards and Posted Materialsand Posted Materials

Designing Bulletin Boards Designing Bulletin Boards and Posted Materialsand Posted Materials

Listening TipsListening Tips Make sure the Make sure the

environment is free environment is free of background noiseof background noise

Teach the student Teach the student to focus their to focus their thoughtsthoughts

Teach the student Teach the student to focus on key to focus on key wordswords

Worry, fear, grief Worry, fear, grief and depressionand depression

Noise and verbal Noise and verbal “clutter”“clutter”

Preoccupation, Preoccupation, boredom and boredom and shrinking attention shrinking attention spans.spans.

Barriers to Listening

Good listening requires the temporary Good listening requires the temporary suspension of all unrelated thoughtssuspension of all unrelated thoughts…….…….a a

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