Education for Students with Blindness or Visual Impairments

Resources for the Classroom

Classroom teachers will find information on providing access to the curriculum for students who are blind or visually impaired. These teaching tips, educational strategies, accommodations, and instructional adaptations are useful in both inclusive and special education settings.

Educating Blind and Visually Impaired Students
Basic advice for teachers and tutors on working with a student who is blind or visually impaired.

Instructional Strategies to Help Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Ten easy reminders for classroom instructors, compiled by Guilford Technical Community College. Great for handouts, bulletin boards, in-service training. See also this bullet list from the Australian Council for Private Education and Training: Communication tips for teaching students who are blind or vision impaired

Tips for Working with Blind Students
This handout also contains valuable tips on working with the Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) assigned to your classroom or student(s).

Twelve Tips for Classroom Teachers
Feedback to general education, from the parent of a child with visual impairment.

Full-Text Articles

Reading Strategies for Students with Visual Impairments: A Classroom Teacher’s Guide, Special Education Technology British Columbia
A “resource to provide classroom teachers with a selection of strategies to address the reading needs of students with visual impairments.”

Educational Practices
This section of the DB-LINK website has several articles about educational practices related to students who are deafblind.

Issues in the Field of Blindness and Low-Vision
National Center on Severe and Sensory Disabilities
The National Center on Severe and Sensory Disabilities is part of the University of Northern Colorado's School of Special Education.  Professor of Special Education Kay Farrell provides an overview of current issues in the field (2007).

Tactile Graphics: A Beginner's Guide to Graphics for Visually Impaired Children: The Reginald Phillips Research Programme, University of Sussex
A teacher's basic introduction to creating tactile graphics.

Project Math Access: Research and Development Institute, Sycamore, Illinois
A comprehensive program that addresses the difficulties visually impaired students encounter when studying math; aimed at improving their skills and academic performance.

Curriculum Adaptations: Tactual Art, VI Guide
Enhancing art appreciation in preschool and elementary school children with projects and activities that teach the children to enjoy beauty tactilely.

Web-Based Organizations and Resources

AIM in Your State
This site's state-by-state menu makes it easy to locate, in one place, agency contact information for Accessible Information Materials and National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard(NIMAS) for your U.S. state or territory.

Common Core Toolkit
Engage NY
The Common Core Toolkit for Parents and Families is a collection of materials and resources that will help parents and families understand the New York State Common Core implementation.

Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
This resource from Saskatchewan Learning offers basic information to help provide successful school experiences for students who are blind or visually impaired.

The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard(NIMAS) is a technical standard established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that was created to make it possible for students with print disabilities to receive learning materials in formats they need as quickly as possible. NIMAS sources are designed to be easily converted into specialized formats, including braille, audio, large print, and digital text.  Parents approaching accessible educational materials for the first time should begin with Basics for Families.  See also AIM in Your State for local information.

Oakmont Visual Aids Workshop
Located in Santa Rosa, CA, the workshop specializes in classroom-quality tactile books and teaching aids. Products are available at no charge to students; schools are asked to pay what they can.

Scholarships and Grants for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
American Foundation for the Blind maintains a list of organizations offering financial support for qualifying individuals and academic programs.  Browse them here.

The PALM Initiative
The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials wants to insure that institutions Purchase Accessible Learning Materials; the PALM Initiative was launched to influence standards and policies with publishers and developers, to include accessible features from the design phase.

Video Clips on Blindness Tips, Washington State School for the Blind
Video clips on useful skills and various daily activities for students who are blind.