macular degeneration, like Stargardt
Visual
Impairments
What are Visual
Impairments?
Visual Impairments are a condition
caused by any disability which
significantly negatively impacts a
person’s ability to complete tasks in
everyday life. This includes an impact
on children’s ability to learn.
Generally, Visual Impairment is
defined in three categories.
disease, or in optic nerve issues and
disconnections. Adventitious Visual
Differences in Vision
Impairment is used when the
1. Low Vision
impairment occurs after the child has
-Students who have enough sight to
experienced sight and will retain visual
use it as a functional tool for daily
memory. These cases are generally
tasks, and still rely on it for learning.
caused by infection or trauma resulting
2. Functionally Blind
in retinal detachment.
-Students who can use their limited
sight for some functional tasks, but rely
on tactile and audible cues for learning.
Diagnosis
3. Totally Blind Recognizing visual impairment can be
-Students with no use of sight exceedingly difficult, especially since
who rely on audible and tactile cues children may be unaware of the limits
of their sight compared to others. It is
and feedback for both functional and
learning tasks often up to teachers to monitor warning
signs like repetitive tearing, headaches,
nausea, and reading problems.
Causes and Differences
Visual Impairment can be caused by
numerous conditions, as it serves as a
catch-all term for anything that impacts
a student’s sight. Congenital Visual
Impairment is categorized as any
significant visual loss either during
fetal development, at birth, or very
soon after birth. These are often caused
by genetic disorders resulting in

Methods of Teaching
The key styles that have to be utilized
by teachers, are the removal of
cluttered visual cues, and the inclusion
of audio tools in modified instruction.
Assistive technologies also need to be
included, like text-to-braille, text-to-
speech, talking calculators, magnifiers
and more. Two necessities for teaching
the visually impaired include time for
socialization with peers, and attempts at
fostering independence in work and
problem solving to prevent social
exclusion and learned helplessness.
Accommodations &
Modifications
Because of the wide variety of effects
that visual impairment can cause, the
style of teaching has to be altered for
almost every individual. Depending on
the severity of the impairment, teacher
accommodations can be as simple as
having a student sit closer to the board,
or repeating what appears on the board,
to the extremes of providing students
with braille worksheets, audio tape
instructions and lessons, and direct,
individualized teacher support.
Teachers must also note that they must
make changes in the ways that their
students with visual impairments
demonstrate learning. These include
modified assignments, avoiding
visually cluttered materials, use of bold
line or raised line paper etc. Teachers
must also be aware of changes in
setting such as avoiding glare from
overhead lights, open and close doors
fully, place materials in consistent
locations, etc.
Teachers should also encourage
independence as often as possible to
avoid the trap of “learned
helplessness.”
Five Tips and Tricks for
Teachers:
1.
Students with VI’s have unique
educational needs that are
most effectively met when
working in a team of
professionals, parents and
students.
2. In order to meet each child’s
unique needs they must have
specialized services, books and
instructional materials in
appropriate media as well as
specialized equipment and
technology.
3. Teachers should place a great
emphasis on the way they set
up their classroom so their
students are able to move
around easier, and more
accessible when attaining
materials.
4. If a teacher is not familiar with
VI’s they should participate in a
training program which provides
resources to a students
academic and non academic
needs.
5. The teacher must also conduct
ongoing observations of how
the student in a variety of
familiar situations is performing
routine tasks/activities.