Overview

Contibuting Authors: Katie Beaver & Gail Vaughan

Access for Students with Low Vision

For many students with low vision, using standard educational materials is a daily struggle. Look here for Assistive Technoloy suggestions on adapting educational materials to address many difficulties. We also offer a handout on Vendors of AT devices for students with Low Vision. Another website offers useful information on Aids and Assistive Technology: Library Services for Visually Impaired people.

This section offers a range of solutions for what to do if the:

Print size is too small.
Contrast of foreground and background is too low.
Background is too busy or cluttered to perceive important foreground information.
Material is not organized in a direct left to right sequence, making tracking difficult.
Student's handwriting is slow and quality is poor, making it difficult to complete assignments on time and to re-read what s/he wrote.
Browser window is too small and the pointer is hard to find or use.

Some solutions help the student directly. Others are used to modify classroom materials so the student can independently use them.

For many students with low vision, access to standard educational materials is a daily struggle that often requires adult assistance. NICHY describes visual impairments that can affect education:

"Partially sighted" indicates some type of visual problem has resulted in a need for special education.
"Low vision" generally refers to a severe visual impairment, not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of vision and other senses to learn, although they may require adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and, sometimes, Braille.

To make print materials accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, four methods are widely used. These are sometimes referred to as alternate formats:

Audiocassettes,
Braille,
Electronic documents, and
Large print.