Congratulations! You've got a student who is Visually Impaired in your class......NOW WHAT?

Hello! With the new school year fast approaching, I wanted to reach out to those general classroom teachers who may just be finding out that they will have the joy of teaching a student who has a visual impairment in their classroom!

This week's blog post will address ways to adapt your classroom, materials, and routines to allow your student who is visually impaired to seamlessly adapt to the new year and compete on the same level as their peers. Chances are, you've already met your student's Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) and Certified Orientation & Mobility Instructor (COMS). They will be wonderful resources for you this year and provide you the support you need. They may also be able to assist in the set up of your classroom! 

Let's dive right in!

Adapting your room to be VI friendly!

Make sure that you check their IEP to see if they need preferential seating towards the front of the room or away from glare. It is important to make sure that you have clear pathways and a set classroom set-up when your kids enter the room. Not to say that things can't change, but a route is very important to a child who is blind. If there is a bathroom in your classroom, have the TVI or COMS set up a route for the student from desk to restroom and back again. 

Remember, creative seating may look really awesome for pictures, but it might not be functional for a student who is visually impaired. Give them every opportunity to see the board where their vision is best. For students who are totally blind, changing up seating all the time can create confusion on where the student is in the room and may have difficulty orienting themselves to other sections of the room. 

Again, and I cannot stress this enough, reach out to the TVI and COMS to help you with this, they will be very happy to help! While we are on the subject of working with those two professionals, make sure that you establish and stick to time lines for material preparation. A good rule of thumb is getting activities, worksheets, etc. to the TVI to prep with two weeks of time before the activity itself. Braille and accommodating do not happen overnight! 

Routines

Routines are very important to the student who is blind or visually impaired. They need to know what to expect. I have been seeing a trend of having the classroom schedule posted in the classroom, present it in a way that the student can access (desk copy or braille copy). Have the COMS help the student find their special areas (library, music, PE) so they can go with the class independently! 

Labels

Keeping in mind that students with visual impairments may not be able to see across the room or even past their desk, labels are very important to this student! Make sure that if you student is a braille reader to have everything labeled in braille as well as print! (Your TVI can help you with this!) A good rule of thumb is to just label EVERYTHING (desks, doors, closets, storage, bookshelves, book bins, you get the point!)! If the student is low vision, check the IEP or Functional Vision Evaluation to see what size font your student can see the best and try to accommodate the labels. Labeling desks can be helpful, in both braille and print, for the student to get to know classmates. 

A good ice breaker for a student who is totally blind may be to have them braille their classmates desk labels! It can be fun and ease introductions. Plus, everyone gets very excited to see their name in braille! 

Centers

Many classrooms use centers as an educational tool. They are wonderful and your student who is visually impaired CAN participate in them along with the other students! For independent centers, have a special folder or part of the table/desk for the students accommodated materials. That way the student will always know where his or her materials are located and be able to access them independently. If travel between centers become too daunting, try assigning a random partner to the student and have the COMS teach all the students how to do sighted guide instead of rag-doll pulling the student around the room. 

Tactile Art

Yes, your student who is visually impaired can do all the art projects just like the other students! If you remember, there is another blog post about this! If it is a paint activity, try adding sand or glitter of different textures to the paints to add texture. Allow the student to be creative and it is OK if their art does not look like the others! If there is an art teacher, make sure they are following through with adapting lessons and activities. As the classroom teacher, you may need to give a little more assistance to this student during art activities, but it will not go unappreciated! 

Field Trips

Make sure to tell your TVI and especially your COMS about any field trips! The first reason is because it may be during a scheduled direct service time for them and they may miss the student if you are gone. The second reason is, they may want to attend the trip with you or meet you there! Field trips for students who are visually impaired can be so fun! This could an opportunity to practice new O&M techniques or social skills. Any materials sent prior to the trip can be accommodated! 

All things Classroom Related

There are so many different things that go into the planning of a new school year. Be sure to include your student who is visually impaired! If there is a welcome folder, make sure that they student can access it and read it easily. Any activities on registration day or at the welcome day/night need to be adapted for the student! 

When it comes to keeping their desk, locker or cubby organized, help to set up the student for success! Give them expectations right away! Bins, magazine holders, shoe boxes can all be re-purposed and used for the student in your room. It is an important skill for all students to be organized so make sure that you hold that student who is VI to the same standard! 

Same goes for homework and homework folders! If there is a special folder for homework or a special place to turn it in in the morning, make sure the student knows where to go and where to place what! This will help the student feel like they are a normal student in your room! It will also give you one less thing to track down!

I know that was a lot to process on top of beginning a new year! This year is going to full of amazing progress, fun new challenges and many memories you will never forget! Always reach out to your Teacher of the Visually Impaired or Orientation & Mobility Instructor if you have questions! 

Have a wonderful new school year!

~Alex