How do I support learners with a visual impairment?

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Have you ever wanted to be supportive to someone with a visual impairment, but you didn't know where to start or you were afraid of making a mistake?

Don't let a lack of knowledge, worries, and fears stop you from being supportive. Explore how you can help someone with a visual impairment, whether you're a parent or educator. 🙂

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As of 2020, the World Health Organization defines a person as visually impaired and blind if their visual acuity (VA) is less than 3/60 in the eye with the best vision.

A VA of 3/60 means that a person can see at 3 feet what a person without a visual impairment can see at 60 feet.

"Visually impaired" is a general umbrella term that includes people that are:

• Partially sighted

• Low vision

• Legally blind

• Totally blind

Note: Depending on the country, these terms differ. For example, the United Kingdom (UK) uses "severely sight impaired" instead of blind.

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A person with a vision impairment might have the following everyday challenges:

• Inability to drive safely to family events, school, work, and more

• Learning how to read braille and finding braille novels, books, or media

• Difficulties manipulating objects,like replacing smoke detector batteries

• Trouble recognizing familiar people from their face or voice alone

• Reading important safety information on medication labels or street signs

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A learner with a vision impairment might struggle in-class with:

• Eye fatigue when trying to focus and understand surroundings

• Self acceptance in learning differentlythan peers

• Sensitivity to light from fluorescent room lighting causing eye-strain

• Bumping into things, such as other classmates, desks, trashcans, and bags

• Not being able to see distant objects, such as board notes, classmates, and videos

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Learners with vision impairments are more likely to experience:

• Low self esteem from not sharing visual experiences with sighted peers

• Lack of motivation to learn in class, socialize, or try new things

• Bullying from others that do not understand their challenges

• Isolation from social situations to avoid negative comments

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The emotional impact of feeling worthless, lonely, and worried about not being good enough as a learner with a visual impairment can lead to:

• dropping out of school

• unemployment during adulthood

• self isolation from society

Wherever possible, it's critical to show your support by making the best referrals to prevent your learner from future setbacks.

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If you're a teacher, be supportive in-class and:

• Use clear auditory instruction and large-print materials

• Allow verbal answersduring exams and quizzes

• Provide recorded lessons, if possible

• Verbalize students' preferred names to get attention

• Give breaks in between activities to avoid fatigue

• Directly talk to learners, not their companions

• Keep walkways open to avoid falls

• Don't leave them out of group work

• Don't lower expectations of what they can or can't do

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If you're a parent or legal guardian, be supportive at-home by:

• Providing clear auditory communication, verbally or recorded

• Stay updated with medical appointments

• Making home changesto fit specific needs

• Adapting household chores by age

• Treating the learner the same as their seeing peers or siblings

• Using clocks that makes a sound at every hour

• Seeking support groups and resourcesto build community

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Become the best supporter: