Blind/Visual Impairments

Blindness is the inability to see because of an injury, disease, or congenital condition. The terms visual impairment, blindness, and vision loss can be used interchangeably to describe the lack of ability to see to a degree that glasses or other types of lenses cannot remedy or correct the vision. A vision loss causes an individual to have difficulties with normal daily activities such as driving, reading, and walking independently without the use of a tool or guide dog. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 246 million people experience low vision and 39 million people are blind. In the United States, approximately 1.3 million individuals are blind or have a visual impairment (2014). Of those individuals, approximately 40% are in the workforce, but only 15% earn a bachelor's degree. The numbers also indicate that 30% of people with this diagnosis live below the poverty level.

Vision loss can be experienced at different degrees, many which can be corrected by prescription eyeglasses. However, a person is considered legally blind when, even with corrective lenses, the person is unable to see. Blindness has many causes, but in the United States, the leading cause of blindness include accidents or injuries, diabetes, glaucoma, or macular degeneration. Blindness is protected under the ADA and therefore any entity that receives federal funding, is required to provide accommodations. Although a low incidence disability for Disability Services Centers, every year about 10-12 students with a visual impairment are served.

Because much of communication occurs by non-verbal means, students with a vision loss will be at a greater disadvantage. They lack the privilege of seeing those subtle yet significant observations. This makes it difficult for college students with visual impairments to gain the full college experience both inside and outside the classroom. Although all colleges must provide legally required accommodations such as access to print materials, and a scribe for exams, students who are blind still have greater challenges since not all college experiences can be easily accessible.

People often make false assumptions about vision loss. The following are some of the assumptions people make that can negatively affect their interactions with someone with a visual impairment. Not all people who are blind see pitch black. Most people who are considered legally blind will have at least some type of vision.

1. Blind people do not have acute hearing. Blind people do not develop super senses, rather they learn how to use other senses to assist with access.
2. Not everyone who is blind reads braille. Only about 10% are proficient braille readers.
3. Legal blindness cannot be corrected by glasses contrary to what some people believe. Wearing glasses does not help many people with vision loss.
4. Not all blind individuals use a guide dog. Guide dogs are one of the mobility aides used by some individuals who are blind that allows them to travel safely and independently.

False assumptions and other negative attitudes cause students who are visually impaired to face additional obstacles on college campuses. Often they experience resistance to being accepted within a class, and find that class materials are frequently inaccessible for them. ADS will accommodate and provide access for students who are blind, but the campus community can provide blind students with a with a welcoming and accessible environment.

1. Allow students who are blind or visually impaired to complete assignments, give presentations or take exams in alternative format. Work with Disability Services to gain awareness and access to adaptive technology and software to help blind students learn effectively.
2. Modify course instruction to meet the individual needs of every learner. For students who are blind or have visual impairments, it means having all written material available in an alternate format (either auditory, large font print, or braille).
3. Work with the volunteer or paid note-taker assigned by Office of Disability Services to ensure that they are serving the student appropriately. Typewritten notes are required.
4. Ensure that the classroom is accessible to all students, regardless of disability.
5. Guide students who are blind to specialized support resources dedicated to assist them. Make a direct referral and assist them with the first contact.
6. Talk privately with the blind student and solicit ideas on how the classroom and teaching materials can be made accessible. For example, when graphs or pictures are used for instruction, how does the student want them described?
7. Be careful of the language used but it is fine to use words like "look" and "see." Realize that the students themselves use the same terms but may define them differently. They may "look" at things in a different way.
8. When using audiovisual materials, they can be made accessible to blind students by providing verbal explanations about what is on the screen. Instead of pointing or saying over there, give verbal directions from the student's perspective remembering that left and right are opposite to the students.
9. Consider priority seating, encouraging students to sit as close to the front as possible so that they can clearly hear any description given.
10. Classroom handouts, especially when it includes pictures or diagrams take longer for Disability Services to convert to an accessible format. Keep this in mind when working with the Office of Disability Services.
11. Expect students who are blind or visually impaired to complete the same assignments as the rest of the students. However, keep in mind that it will take longer for a student who relies on an alternative format.
12. Independence is very important for a blind student. Be patient and only help when the student asks. The student may wish to be as independent as possible to build self-confidence.
13. At each class, evaluate if chairs or furniture are out of place. Either keep furniture consistent or notify a blind student of the change.
14. When addressing students, address them by name. Students who are blind or visually impaired will associate names with voices. Also, when addressing the students who has a visual impairment, use his/her name so he/she knows to respond.
15. Remember that all students, including students with visual impairments, learn at a different pace.
16. As much as possible treat a student with a vision loss the same as any other student. This modeling will encourage other classmates to do the same.