Instructional Strategies

For Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

In this section, teachers will find practical suggestions for making geography and social studies accessible students who are blind or visually impaired. Included are tips for the classroom, ideas for activities, and techniques to adapt lessons and materials.

Below is a list of topics you'll find in this section. Click on a title to jump to a specific topic.

Instructional Strategies

Accessing Academic Classes, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
Aimed at parents, this page provides a brief overview of the challenges facing teenagers with visual impairment who are studying geography and history.

Geography in a Different Way, International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment  (ICEVI)
Slovenian teacher Roman Brvar outlines considerations for teaching geography to students with a visual impairment, including educational materials and teaching methods.

Teacher Tips - Geography and History, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Experienced educators share suggestions for teaching geography and history to students who are blind or visually impaired.

Teaching Geography to Pupils with Sight Loss, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Stuart Snowdon discusses strategies for making geography accessible to students with a visual impairment, and shares tips on mapwork and the production of materials.

Teaching Geography to Visually Impaired Students, Staffordshire Learning Net
Stuart Snowdon offers practical strategies for teaching geography to students with visual impairments, including ideas for instructional methods, materials, and mapwork.

Curriculum and Standards: Geography

Geography Lessons and Activities, National Geographic Society
Organized by grade level, the topics include the Amazon, Mexico, Gaza, Okavango, Tarantulas, the White House, and Wildlife Refuges.

Organizations and Resources to Explore: Instructional Strategies

The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE)
NCGE works to enhance the status and quality of geography teaching and learning.  The site includes links to resources, publications, and events.

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
NCSS is the largest American association devoted solely to social studies education.

Social Studies, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
This is an annotated resource list of materials for teaching social studies to students who are blind and visually impaired.