Accommodation Resources: Blind and Low Vision

Students who have no sight cannot access standard printed materials. Students who have been blind since birth may also have difficulty understanding verbal descriptions of visual materials and concepts.

Consider the description "This diagram of ancestral lineage looks like a tree." To someone who has never seen a tree, it may not be readily apparent that the structure discussed has several lines of ancestry that can be traced back to one central family. Students who lost their vision later in life may find it easier to understand such verbal descriptions. Additionally, directions and demonstrations based on color differences may be difficult to follow for students with blindness. During demonstrations, clear, concise narration of the basic points being represented in visual aids is important. This technique benefits other students as well. The assistance of a sighted person may be required in order for the student who is blind to gain access to visual content.

Ready access to the content of printed materials on computer or website can allow a blind student, who has access to assistive technology, to read text aloud and/or produce it in Braille. Some materials may need to be transferred to audiotape or embossed in Braille. Since it may take weeks or even months to create or procure these materials, it is essential that campus service staff select and prepare these materials well before they are needed. School services for students with disabilities typically coordinates Braille, electronic, and audiotape production in collaboration with staff, instructors and the student. They may also be able to locate or create tactile models and raised-line drawings of graphic images.

Computers with optical character readers, speech output, Braille screen displays, and Braille printers allow students who are blind to access electronic resources. The disabled student services office and/or computing services staff on your campus can be consulted when addressing computer access issues.

Web pages should be designed so that they are accessible to those using Braille and speech output systems. Your webmaster should be knowledgeable about accessible design of web pages.

Accommodations

Typical accommodations for students who are blind are:

• audiorecorded, brailled, or electronic-formatted notes, handouts, and texts
• verbal descriptions of visual content
• raised-line drawings and tactile models of graphic materials
• braille equipment labels
• auditory emergency warning signals
• adaptive lab equipment (e.g., talking thermometers and calculators, light probes, tactile timers)
• computers with optical character readers, speech output, Braille screen displays and embossed output

Check Your Understanding

Let's consider an example. How could a student who is blind access a campus map to understand the campus layout? Choose a response.

1. A sighted person could describe the map to her.
2. She could use a map created in Braille.
3. A sign language interpreter could translate the content for her.
4. She could use a raised-line drawing.

Responses:

1. A sighted person could describe the map to her. 
   Having a sighted person describe the size and layout of the buildings and other landmarks on the map is an option. Office staff might do this, or the student can contact the disabled student services office on campus for assistance.
2. She could use a map created in Braille. 
   Braille output systems cannot create drawings. However, if the content of the map was described in text format electronically, for example, in an email message or on the World Wide Web, the text could be printed in Braille so that the student would be able to access the information directly.
3. A sign language interpreter could translate the content for her. 
   Sign language interpreters translate content for individuals who are deaf. However, if this student is deaf and blind, a sign language interpreter could describe the information tactilely (by using hand signs within the student's hands).
4. She could use a raised-line drawing. 
   A raised line drawing, where the content of the graphic is presented in a form that can be felt, is an option for providing access to a map for a student who is blind. The labels might be presented on the map in Braille. Typically, the disabled student services office on campus coordinates the creation of raised line drawings.

For frequently asked questions, case studies, and promising practices, consult the searchable Knowledge Base.

Related Links

• Working Together: Science Teachers and Students with Sensory Impairments (video)
• Working Together: Computers and People with Sensory Impairments (brochure)
• Accessible Website Design
• Universal Design of Instruction (UDI): Definitions, Principles, Guidelines, and Examples (brochure)

For some students with low vision or partial sight, standard written materials are too small to read and small objects are difficult to see. Other students may see objects only within a specific field of vision, or see an image with sections missing. Text or objects may appear blurry.

Learning via a visual medium may take longer and may be more fatiguing for people who have low vision. Some people with low vision may be able to read enlarged print for a long time period, while others may only be able to tolerate reading for a short time and require readers or audiotaped material.

Visual abilities may also vary in different situations. For example, reduced light or strong glares may affect visual abilities during different times of day or in different rooms.

Students with low vision may face challenges in locating large-print materials, getting around in an unfamiliar setting, finding transportation, hiring readers for library work, researching for written assignments, as well as getting electronic recorded books on time.

Accommodations

Typical accommodations for students with low vision include

• large-print reading materials (e.g., books, handouts, signs, and equipment labels). Large print is typically 16 to 18 point bold type, depending on the typeface used
• front-row or preferential classroom seating in well-lit areas with full view of the presenter and visual aids
• assignments in electronic formats
• computers with screen and text enlargers, optical character readers (which convert print to electronic format), or speech output
• the use of readers or scribes for exams
• recorded presentations
• laptop computers for note taking
• extended time for exams and assignments
• verbal descriptions of visual aides
• monitors connected to microscopes to enlarge images

Examples of accommodations for laboratories for students with low vision include

• large-print instructions
• large-print laboratory signs and equipment labels
• enlarged images through connecting TV monitors to microscopes
• raised line drawings or tactile models for illustrations

Check Your Understanding

Let's consider an example. A student with low vision visited the career center and announced that he will need materials in large print and access to the online database of job listings. What should you do? Choose a response.

1. Tell him that it takes several weeks to accommodate his needs and, therefore, he should come back next quarter?
2. Prepare large-print versions of printed materials?
3. Meet with the student and ask him what previous accommodations have been helpful?
4. Provide the publications in standard print and ask the student to use a closed-circuit television in the library nearby?

Responses:

1. Tell him that it takes several weeks to accommodate his needs and, therefore, he should come back next quarter? 
   No. You are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations in a timely manner for students who are requesting your services. You should find a more timely solution.
2. Prepare large-print versions of printed materials? 
   Although this may be a reasonable accommodation, the student is your best resource for determining what accommodations are appropriate. Connect with him and, perhaps, the disabled student services office to determine exactly what is needed.
3. Meet with the student and ask him what previous accommodations have been helpful? 
   Yes. You may wish to set up a meeting the student and with disabled student services office staff to facilitate open communication regarding reasonable and effective accommodations.
4. Provide the publications in standard print and ask the student to use a closed circuit television in the library nearby? 
   Although this may be a reasonable accommodation, the student is your best resource for determining what accommodations are appropriate. Connect with him and, perhaps, the disabled student services office to determine exactly what is needed.

Related Links

• Working Together: People with Disabilities and Computer Technology (brochure)
• Working Together: Computers and People with Sensory Impairments (brochure)
• Equal Access: Science and Students with Sensory Impairments (brochure)

Further Ideas for Blind and Low Vision Needs

• Request and encourage student input on how to best accommodate the student's learning needs.
• Consider the position, lighting, and seating needs of the student during presentations or when using text, manipulatives, transparencies or other projected images.
• Provide large-print lecture notes, handouts, and worksheets.
• Orient the student to the classroom (dimensions, exits, furniture arrangement, hazards) initially and whenever a change occurs.
• To find talking calculators, consult the National Federation of the Blind Independence Market Online.
• United States maps in large print are available from the American Printing House for the Blind.
• Rulers, protractors, and other measurement tools are available in tactile and large-print format from the American Printing House for the Blind. Additional measurement devices can be found at AssisTech.
• Give clear verbal descriptions of visual aids including video and printed content used throughout your presentation.
• Use a scanner to create an electronic version of images, charts, or maps, and display them in a larger format on a computer monitor, or use an LCD projector.
• Provide class assignments ahead of time in electronic format. Avoid last-minute additions to assignments.
• Consider the needs of students with disabilities during lab orientation and lab safety meetings.
• Assign group activities in which all students take responsibility and contribute according to their abilities.
• Use multiple formats—oral, written, visual, tactile, electronic—for instruction and demonstrations.
• Consider computer accommodations for writing activities. Provide a document format that can be edited electronically by the student, such as an accessible PDF file, a Word document, or a plain text document.
• Consult the video presentation and publication Working Together: Computers and People with Sensory Impairments.