Visual Impairment, including Blindness (VI)

According to IDEA (2017) a Visual Impairment means "an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance"

Common traits/characteristics 

• Students may not be able to see objects at a distance

• Students may squint/ rub their eyes due to light sensitivity.

Educational challenges:

Students may have a challenging time participating in class because they may not be able to see the board/ instruction, and they may not be able to read. Additionally, the difficulty in reading will play a role in the instruction provided for students. The teacher should frequently check for understanding and provide tools/ technology that supports the student to encourage learning.

Tips/ recommendations for teachers:

• Allow the student to have priority seating in the classroom

• The teacher should allow the student to have extra time to become familiar with the physical layout of the classroom

• The teacher should look for opportunities to provide note-taking assistance to best assist the student 

• Additionally, the teacher can verbalize instructions and directions to aid the student with the visual impairment