Module 4: Accommodations for Vision Impairments

Types of Visual Impairment

According to the U.S. Census Americans With Disabilities Household Economic Studies, about 7.7 million Americans 15 years old and over had difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print, even with glasses. Vision loss can occur in one or both eyes. A person has low vision (partial loss) if he or she has difficulty performing everyday visual tasks such as reading a newspaper even with the aid of standard eye glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery. A person has blindness if he or she has total loss of vision. Visual impairments can take the form of loss in acuity (perception of detail), restriction of the visual field, an inability to perceive color and contrast, or an inability to adjust to glare.

Additional background on visual impairments can be found on in the SciTrain modules on Types of Vision Problems.

Accommodation Techniques

General

Change the task so that the vision-related barrier is avoided.
A task might be performed in a different manner that does not pose a barrier.
Seek assistance with minor tasks that are creating a barrier.
Students or fellow teachers may be able to provide assistance on occasion. For example, a student might be asked to pass out papers.

Low Vision

Maximize visibility of objects in the environment.
Use high contrast colors, simple backgrounds, lighting, and close positioning to help an individual maximize use of his or her vision.
Magnify information and objects in the environment.
Use large print or magnification to compensate for acuity problems.

More Significant Vision Loss or Blind

Present information through auditory channels.
Use tones or similar sounds to convey simple information (e.g., on/off indication). Use recorded or generated speech to convey complex visual information such as text or an image.
Present information through tactile channels.
Use tactile marks to convey simple information (e.g., the location of a particular control). Use Braille (if the teacher is fluent in this written language) to convey text.

Accommodation Ideas for:

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