Blindness and Visual Impairment

About one in 1,000 school-aged children has a visual impairment. Most children who are visually impaired have low vision, meaning they use vision for learning along with some tactile and auditory adaptations. About 10 percent of children with visual impairments are blind; they have insufficient vision to help them learn, and their education depends on tactile and auditory methods.

Educational Curriculum

Children with visual impairment often require adaptations to access the general educational curriculum. For the student with low vision, these may include increased contrast and color highlighting, lighting adaptations, varied time requirements, optical devices, and auditory materials. A student who is blind may use Braille, tactile adaptations such as raised maps, speech access, use of real objects and materials, and auditory descriptions. Students with visual impairments may also benefit from instruction in orientation and mobility skills that are not part of the standard curriculum.

Other curricular areas important for students who are visually impaired include instruction in daily living skills, career development, communication literacy, use of assistive technology, use of functional vision, and social skills.

Reading and Information Access

Students who are visually impaired may read using one or more of the following methods:

• Standard print, which can often be read comfortably with decreased viewing distance or by using a hand magnifier or other optical devices.
• Enlarged print
• Braille
• Auditory learning, in combination with the above media or as the primary medium

The Learning Media Assessment is often used to identify a primary and secondary media for a student to use for reading and other learning activities. To be most efficient, a visually impaired student should have several ways of reading and writing.

Use of Vision

Most students with visual impairments are able to use vision for some activities. Use of vision in regular activities can be determined by a functional vision evaluation, completed by a certified teacher of visually impaired children. This assessment should include recommendations for adaptations, services, and instructional skills that will help the student learn to use vision appropriately.

The learning environment can be adapted to encourage efficient use of vision for individual learners as recommended on the functional vision evaluation. Adaptations may include

• High contrast in materials, usually best achieved by black on non-glare white background
• Color contrast or highlighting
• Even, steady lighting without glare
• Reading stands or reading positions that allow reduced viewing distances
• Use of low vision devices as prescribed by a low vision clinical evaluation, conducted by an eye specialist with low vision background:
  • monoculars and telescopes for distance viewing
  • hand-held or stand magnifiers that can be used for near point tasks; and
  • use of technological adaptations such as closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) or screen enlargement programs for computers

Use of Senses Other Than Vision

Students who do not use vision will rely on tactile and auditory materials. Braille is the most efficient tactile code used for reading, produced in standard paper and book form, and it can be written and read using portable notetakers with Braille displays or computer output. Rapid Braille readers can read as fast as print readers.

In addition, students who are blind will need opportunities for direct experiences with materials and objects.

Most students with visual impairments rely on auditory information for some part of their learning. Books on tape or CD, spoken output from the computer, and use of tape recorders for memos provide a quick means of access.

Educational Models

The most common model for providing necessary adaptations is the assignment of an itinerant teacher to serve the student directly in the regular classroom or to provide consultation to the educational team. This professional obtains specialized materials and textbooks, conducts assessments related to the visual impairment such as the functional visual evaluation, and collaborates with the educational team.

In some cases, children with visual impairments are educated in separate classrooms or specialized schools. Some specialized schools encourage short-term placements for students who need to work on a specific skill such as orientation and mobility or assistive technologies.  Specialized schools may offer summer programs that allow students with visual impairments to socialize with peers who have common experiences.

Children with visual impairments vary widely in their learning abilities and needs, and educational support from a professional in visual impairment is vital in their learning. As they grow older, it is important for them to have contact with adults who are visually impaired and to have the opportunity to participate in regular work experiences.