According to the American Foundation for the Blind, there are an estimated 93,600 children between the ages of birth and 21 who are blind or visually impaired and being served by some form of Special Education in the United States. The term visual impairment includes conditions ranging from the presence of good usable vision, to low vision, to the absence of any sight at all – total blindness.
The following is a quick overview of some of the accommodations that might be useful for students with vision impairments. To discuss an accommodation situation with a consultant, contact JAN directly.
Improving Mobility in the Classroom & Educational Facility:
· Mobility and orientation training
· Training with or allow the use of a mobility aid, such as a cane
· Tactile map of evacuation route and an emergency evacuation “partner” along with evacuation training
Accessing Printed Materials:
Hand or stand magnification
Materials in large print or enlarged on a photo copier
Task lighting
Closed Circuit Television System (CCTV)
Optical devices
Bold-lined paper or writing guides
Braille books and materials
Braille slate and stylus
Talking books
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system or a text reader
Tactile image enhancer
Qualified reader
Learning Mathematics and Science:
Large display/button calculators
Talking calculators (business, scientific, & statistical)
Abacus
Nemeth code
Tactile image enhancer for tactile math graphics or science diagrams
Large print, tactile, or talking measuring tools
Talking thermometer
Liquid level indicator
Talking scale
Large display, tactile, or talking timer or stopwatch
Three-dimensional tactile models
Accessing Computer:
Accessibility options on PC for increasing the font size
External computer screen magnifier or screen magnification software
Large print or Braille keyboards, key tops, or labels
Screen reading software
Computer Braille display and Braille printer or embosser
Improving Personal Management Skills:
Talking or Braille watches
Braille or talking note takers or personal data assistants (PDA’s)
Voice activated personal organizers
Digital recorder
