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Visual Impairment Includes those with total loss of vision or significant loss of vision that results in partial sight that is beyond correction.

It entails the loss or partial loss of sight and need for reliance on other senses (smell, touch, hearing and sometimes taste) to identify surroundings.

With visual impairment, it is not so much the funding for programs that is needed in public schools, it is the dedication to students that every educator needs to provide when planning lesson plans, examining website accessibility, and ensuring the students needs are met. Although it may be necessary to purchase online or braille versions of classroom materials, patience and determination are what really impact these students' lives. Be a good listener and communicate frequently about what accommodations may be needed, as vision varies on a case by case basis.

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The CDC's Vision Health Initiative

Because there are many health conditions that can affect one's vision, the CDC discusses vision loss prevention and details about what is defined as visual impairment. The CDC is a valid source because their guidelines regarding COVID-19 are ones we are telling the nation to follow. The information provided on the platform regarding visual impairment consists of research and authenticated information regarding blindness statistics and vision related interventions.

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Learn about vision loss prevention and eye health promotion.

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About Intervention and Prevention

Ensuring that students have the visual intervention they need is important, this refers to what students may need prior to extreme vision loss and the prevention of further visual impairment. A student may need to be placed close to the board or provided large print copies of board material at their desks as to not be squinting and worsening their vision. Students who need glasses should be encouraged to wear them and students who need additional optometrist appointments may need to be excused from school at times.

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The National Eye Institute continually researches vision loss and studies how to support the blind community through science.

The site even has a page labeled for health education resources so that advocates for those with the disability can understand what vision loss entails and explain it to anyone who may originally misunderstand. There are resources for younger students and for older adults. Each resource consists of facts about the visually impaired community and ways to support them.

This includes a virtual reality where what you see gradually becomes more clouded while you attempt to navigate your surroundings. Navigating surroundings may be difficult for those who have lost or are losing their vision, so be conscious of that when making seating arrangements in the classroom.

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Health educators can use NEI materials to help teach people in their communities how to protect their vision. Search the complete collection of publications from the NEI, learn about the NEHEP, and browse NEHEP toolkits.

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The Massachusetts Association for the Visually Impaired

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The Massachusetts Association for the Visually Impaired

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The site consists of stories from visually impaired community, as well as resources, general information, information about volunteering and information about accessibility.

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Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

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For over 100 years, the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI), has been committed to supporting individuals living with vision loss. We teach strategies for doing the activities you may have previously relied on vision to accomplish. There is no one right way to live with vision loss. Our goal is to help you find ways that work for you and to provide you with the support you need.
COVID-19 Resources and Updates

According to some studies, generic Cialis can cause visual impairment.

Celebrate the future of public transportation as the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired announces the winner of the Boston University's Innovate@BU Community Transit Design Challenge. Click here for more info Join us on January 28 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM via Zoom as we watch presentations from the finalists and announce the winner of the Community Transit Design Challenge.

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Living with Vision Loss - Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

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For over 100 years, the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI), has been committed to supporting individuals living with vision loss. We teach strategies for doing the activities you may have previously relied on vision to accomplish. There is no one right way to live with vision loss.

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Students with visual impairment often need a specialist to work with them regarding additional descriptions of visual media or the accessibility of educational resources. General education teachers should provide any class PowerPoints or otherwise visual material to the student prior to class, to ensure that screen readers can navigate the text needed and to ensure that visually impaired students have access to materials. Alt text, which describes images, should be provided as needed.

Many of those who struggle with visual impairment struggle to be accepted by peers because they are often visibly "different" due to the need for a cane or for guided walking, or because they often and need more audio cues. Peer acceptance is unfortunately a factor in every child's life that affects their ability to learn in an environment where they feel accepted. Supporting students and encouraging them is especially important for students with disabilities.

Needing additional support from educators can be frustrating, but visual impairment does not impact intelligence or expression; so beyond needing accessible resources and audio descriptions, students with visual impairment are prepared for "regular" classroom environments.

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While I value research from official and academically certified organizations, I believe it is also important to investigate primary sources. Sassy, a young woman with complete vision loss, shares her story and addresses stigma while she answers questions many are afraid to ask about blindness.

Addressing stigma, and educating students on accessibility and equability, is an important step of raising up students with disabilites. Sources note on the importance of teaching students what blindness is, what alt text is, and what they can do to promote acceptance and accessibility.

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This weeks' post is going to be a controversial one. For those who don't know, I was born sighted, and still had some usable vision until 2013. I've met many people with Visual Impairments, varying...

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Individuals who have or are at risk for visual impairment may exhibit behaviors that are "uncommon". These behaviors include but are not limited to:

Rocking, head spinning or Hand flapping

This is done in an attempt to orient themselves in the surroundings and take in stimulating information that others do with their eyes

Asking for descriptions or to touch something in order to identify it

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In classrooms, students will often be offered additional verbal instructions or descriptions. Braille is also an option for blind students who seek to read, but it is an expensive alternative to screen reader accessibility.

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Many of those who are completely visually impaired will carry a collapsible cane in the way Dany here does. In this video Dany uses his cane as a metaphor to encourage essential workers to keep going in this trying time.

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A Perfect Message For Essential Workers 2021! | Dany Acosta

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Assistive Technology and
Common Classroom Supports

Most of those who struggle with visual impairment use screen reading technology that reads a screen to them. This means students in general education classrooms may require headphones to hear the assistive software reading. Some students, who have not completely lost their sight, may require large print texts. While many sites make it easy to zoom in on text and make it easier to read, unfortunately many websites are inaccessible for screen reading programs.  PDF's that cannot be highlighted word for word, google docs, and even Amazon still are inaccessible to the blind and impractical for those with partial sight.

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This article does a great job of defining visual impairment in a way that is easy to understand for all ages. It describes the origin of visual impairment, the effects of blindness or partial vision impairment on a student, and the support that is available to them.

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Have you ever put on a blindfold and pretended that you couldn't see? You probably bumped into things and got confused about which way you were going. But if you had to, you could get adjusted and learn to live without your sight.

Lots of people have done just that. They have found ways to learn, play, and work, even though they have trouble seeing or can't see at all.

How Seeing Happens

Your eyes and your brain work together to see. The eye is made up of many different parts, including the cornea, iris, lens, and retina. These parts all work together to focus on light and images. Your eyes then use special nerves to send what you see to your brain, so your brain can process and recognize what you're seeing. In eyes that work correctly, this process happens almost instantly.

When this doesn't work the way it should, a person may be visually impaired, or blind. The problem may affect one eye or both eyes.

When you think of being blind, you might imagine total darkness. But most people who are blind can still see a little light or shadows. They just can't see things clearly. People who have some sight, but still need a lot of help, are sometimes called "legally blind."

What Causes Blindness?

Vision problems can develop before a baby is born. Sometimes, parts of the eyes don't form the way they should. A kid's eyes might look fine, but the brain has trouble processing the information they send. The optic nerve sends pictures to the brain, so if the nerve doesn't form correctly, the baby's brain won't receive the messages needed for sight.

Blindness can be genetic (or inherited), which means that this problem gets passed down to a kid from parents through genes.

Blindness also can be caused by an accident, if something hurts the eye. That's why it's so important to protect your eyes when you play certain sports, such as hockey.

Some illnesses, such as diabetes, can damage a person's vision over time. Other eye diseases, such as cataracts (say: KAH-tuh-rakts), can cause vision problems or blindness, but they usually affect older people.

What Does the Doctor Do?

A kid who has serious trouble with vision might see an ophthalmologist (say: af-thal-MAH-luh-jist), a doctor who specializes in eye problems. Even babies might see an ophthalmologist if their parents think they might be having trouble seeing.

At the doctor visit, the doctor will talk with the parents and the kid (if the kid is old enough to describe what's going on). A doctor might use an eye chart to find out how well the kid can see. You've probably seen these charts that contain letters of different sizes. It's a way of testing how well a person can see. Someone with really good vision would be able to read certain letters from 20 feet (6 meters) away.

Eyesight this good is called 20/20 vision, although some people can see even better than that. The numbers change depending on how clearly a person can see. The larger or closer something needs to be in order for it to be seen, the worse a person's vision is.

Many times, glasses or contact lenses are all that's needed to help kids see better. But if glasses and contact lenses can't make someone's vision any better - and the person needs to get really close to something to see it - he or she may be considered blind. For instance, someone with good vision might be able to see an object from 200 feet (61 meters) away, but someone is considered blind if he or she needs to be 20 feet (6 meters) away to see the same object.

Babies and little kids won't be able to use the eye chart, but doctors can check their vision by doing special vision tests or something as simple as putting a toy in front of the child to see if he or she can focus on it.

The ophthalmologist also will examine the kid's eyes using special medication and lighting that allows him or her to see into the eyeballs. The ophthalmologist will look at each part of the eye to check for problems, such as a cataract (cloudiness of the eye's lens). Once the doctor knows what's causing the vision problem, he or she can begin planning how to treat it.

In some cases, an operation can help improve a kid's vision. For example, if a kid has a cataract, doctors may do surgery to remove it.

Is Learning Different?

A baby who is blind can still learn and develop normally. But the baby's parents will need the help of specialists who know how to help blind children. It's often a great idea for the child to attend special learning programs designed just for little kids who have trouble seeing. These programs would make the most of the senses that the kid does have, such as touch, hearing, smell, and taste.

Touch comes in handy when a child is older and wants to read books. Kids who are visually impaired can learn to read by using a special system called braille. Braille is a way of expressing letters, words, and thoughts. To read braille, a person feels a series of little bumps that are associated with letters in the alphabet. For instance, "A" is represented as one bump. Computer programs and other devices that can "see" turn the words on a page into braille.

Hearing is another important sense if a kid has vision problems. Some devices can read out loud what's written on a page. With special equipment, a visually impaired kid can read almost anything. These kinds of technologies can be helpful in learning. Kids who are blind might attend a special school, or they might attend regular classes, aided by special devices and specialists.

Hot Dog!

Kids who have vision problems will get help from their parents, doctors, and teachers. When they are older, some of them may get a hand - or should we say a paw? - from a guide dog. These helper dogs are trained to be a blind person's eyes. That means the dog learns to be very alert to surroundings so he or she can be a good guide for the person.

Not only are these dogs great friends, they give blind people independence, so they can accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Many blind people have gone on to do amazing things in many different fields, including music, the arts, and even sports. Serious vision problems didn't stop runner Marla Runyan. She was the first legally blind person to ever qualify for the Olympics!

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Have you ever put on a blindfold and pretended that you couldn't see? You probably bumped into things and got confused about which way you were going. But if you had to, you could get adjusted and learn to live without your sight. Lots of people have done just that.

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Seating Arrangements

Be aware that students with partial or complete loss of sight may have difficulty navigating the classroom if it is unfamiliar to them, so  seating arrangements should not change frequently and a guide should be provided if needed. Students who need an electric magnifier for text or need a laptop all day for screen reading technology should be seated in an accessible location near an outlet. Unnecessary clutter should be avoided and shelves should not be stacked above shoulder height for completely blind students, so tat they may trail their hands on the top of a surface to navigate surroundings. Students with complete loss of sight often use a cane to navigate, so having open space walking paths where students are less likely to walk into desks or tables, is helpful. Having textured contrast in floors and walls may also be helpful.

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Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

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By: Carmen Willingsteachingvisuallyimpaired.com

​Updated February 26, 2016

There are some considerations that you should make when arranging the classroom to accommodate for a student who is blind or visually impaired. You should not be afraid to rearrange the classroom for the purpose of improving the environment. Try to avoid changing it too frequently and keep in mind that when you do rearrange the environment, you will need to orient the student to the room.

It can be a challenge to arrange seating in the classroom to foster friendships particularly when the student needs to be positioned in certain locations in the room to allow for lighting, proximity and access to outlets. Efforts should still be made to place the student with other students, especially if other students in the classroom are positioned in clusters.
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An organized classroom reduces visual clutter, promotes independence in navigation, and helps the student independently locate and clean up materials. The design of the classroom can also be viewed as a tool to modify behaviors. ​The next step is to help the student "learn to look" by respecting where and how the student sees the best (if the student has any usable vision), and then control the environmental conditions such as lighting, color, placement, spacing, contrast, size, detail, etc. This will help ensure that the student has adaptations necessary to be successful and as independent as possible.

1. The first step in arranging the classroom is sketch the classroom and include features that can't be moved (windows, doors, built in cabinets, built in counters, etc.). Also draw "x's" to indicate where outlets and computer/phone modems are located. This will generally dictate where the teacher's desk and any other electrical equipment will be located.

2. It is essential to have a well-organized classroom that is free of visual and physical clutter. As a rule, avoid excessive furniture, materials and equipment, but don't go to the extreme of having your room resemble an institution. Be sure that the activity areas are well-defined. Obviously a preschool classroom will have different needs from a multiple disability and from that of 4th grade room or high school classroom. Consider the needs of your class and plan accordingly.

3. Arrange the furniture to provide clear traffic paths and that these routes or pathways are safe and accessible to help develop orientation and mobility skills for students that are mobile. It is also important to allow enough space for any wheelchairs, standers and other specialized equipment to be moved. Position furniture in such a way that it enhances their freedom of movement.

4. Be sure you do not stack shelves and containers higher than shoulder height. This not only obscures the view of the classroom and creates a maze effect, but it is also a safety hazard if the shelves and containers are not secured.

5. Have materials in a consistent location. This will not only make the materials accessible to the student, but will also help you and other team members locate needed materials. Refer to Labeling System for suggestions on labeling the materials to make them easy to find and to promote literacy.

6. For students with low vision, provide good contrast in furnishings, walls, and floors. Sometimes this cannot be controlled due to availability, but keep in mind that a visually cluttered carpet can pose safety risks if toys are left out on the carpet and can't be readily seen by a student with low vision.

7. Be aware of surface changes (wood, carpet, tile, etc) and highlight edges if there is not a good contrast. There are a number of ways to do this that are permanent or temporary. Placing Duct Tape along the edge is a temporary way to highlight edges. Duct Tape is now available in a variety of colors and prints. Select a color that provides good contrast and avoid the patterned tapes. A permanent solution is to paint the edges or apply rubber grips to the edges of steps. A contrasting color of tape can be placed around the perimeter of tables and cabinets if you find the student frequently bumping into corners. You may also need to use color or contrast to outline steps, outlets, and switches.

8. For students with little or no functional vision, using different floor textures (differentiating between tile and carpeted areas) may be helpful to provide the student with extra tactual clues.

9. It is important to provide a good trailing surface if the student is mobile. This allows a student to feel along the edge of a cabinet or table to help them move throughout the room.

10. Tack or tape down scatter rugs or runners as well as any electrical cords.

11. Create landmarks to help students develop orientation and mobility skills. Carefully chosen sound, textured, scented (but only if it is a constant scent) or highly visible clues can help a student who has impaired vision to move around the classroom more confidently.

12. Encourage independence and orientation skills by placing student's cubby or locker on the end or near a good landmark.

13. Teach all students to push their chairs under the table or desk when they get up; close or open doors fully; and pick up materials when they are done.

Determine where the student's best visual field is and their ideal position.

If the student uses an electronic magnifier or other electronic equipment, they will need to be seated near an outlet.

Keep in mind that other students will be able to view information that the student with a visual impairment is viewing on their electronic magnifier (a good point to keep in mind during any test taking!).

The student may need extra storage room for equipment.

Keep in mind appropriate table and chair heights. Student's feet should be flat on the floor and the table at a good height so that it is neither too low nor too high in order to have proper upper body support and movement.

Classroom Zoning
​ Preschool classrooms and those for students of multiple disabilities will have multiple adults to work with the students. Create a "zoning chart" along with variations to the chart that accommodate for changes in the schedule along with plans for substitutes. A zoning chart makes it clear where all adults are expected to be during all activities including routines and transitions. This eliminates any questions of who is responsible for each area or student. Remember that unexpected circumstances may arise and flexibility is important. It is important to learn to work as a team and to balance each other out.

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Classroom Design Tips for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

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There are some considerations that you should make when arranging the classroom to accommodate for a student who is blind or visually impaired. You should not be afraid to rearrange the classroom for the purpose of improving the environment. Try to avoid

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poking or rubbing eyes

walking with their hands outstretched in front of them, with a cane, or with a guide

Not looking at the speaker

While the visually impaired rely heavily on sound, it can sometimes be hard to identify the exact origin of a sound unless you tell them.

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Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. J. (2017). Teaching in today's inclusive classrooms: A universal design for learning approach. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Massachusetts Association for the Visually Impaired: Living with Vision Loss. (2020, May 19). Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://www.mabvi.org/

National Eye Institute: Resources for Health Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/resources-for-health-educators

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Braille is based in a system of six vertical dots, each letter has a pattern of dots to represent text. Children who do not know how to read cannot read braille, it takes extra time to chunk and decode text because a student must feel each letter and decode it in their mind. Braille is often used to label classroom items.

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All links and images listed in this padlet have full rights to their information, of which this padlet bases as sources for research of visual imparment in the classroom.

Salvin, J. (Ed.). (2016, September). Blindness (for kids) - nemours kidshealth. Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/visual-impaired.html#:~:text=Blindness%20can%20be%20genetic%20(or,certain%20sports%2C%20such%20as%20hockey.

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Sassy, S. (2017, September 30). Addressing My Blindness "Things I don't get about Blind People". Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://www.thinkingoutloud-sassystyle.com/things-i-dont-get-about-blind-people/

Vision health initiative (vhi) of the CDC. (2020, July 10). Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/index.htm