When I was in high school, I had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP plan) for visual impairment, specifically low vision. As a student that accessed the general curriculum and took several advanced classes, my IEP provided a framework for receiving accessible educational materials and helped me to make progress in my goals for self-advocacy, building technology skills, and attending college to study data science and assistive technology. I’ve had several people ask me what type of accommodations I received in different classes, so here is a list of low vision accommodations for print materials from my high school IEP for visual impairment, along with additional resources that can help other students as well.
It’s worth noting that IEPs expire the moment a student graduates from high school, and I do not use these exact accommodations or font sizes now that I am in college— I prefer a larger font size so I don’t have to strain my eyes, and receiving the vast majority of my assignments in digital formats has made it easier for me to self-accommodate this preference.
As part of my studies, I took English 9, English 10, AP Language and Composition, and English 12 (online). I used the same accommodations for each of my classes, which included:
Another accommodation related to print materials is that I was allowed to type assignments instead of handwriting them, and would not be graded on handwriting legibility due to dysgraphia.
In high school, I took Geography in-person, and then World History 2, US History, and Government as online classes. I had to switch into an online history class partway through the semester from an in-person class because my teacher had difficulties with proving accessible materials and following my IEP. Low vision accommodations for print materials that I used in my history classes included:
In my online classes, I would often enlarge my own assignments or open images in a new tab to add image filters or zoom in further to view details.
I took my first two years of Spanish in middle school, and then took Spanish 3 and Spanish 4 in high school. Low vision accommodations for print materials that I used in my Spanish classes included:
Ideally, I would have had a larger font size for foreign language text to help make it easier to read— I would often increase the font size when taking notes or reading my own typed text, but this accommodation was not officially approved.
In high school, I took Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Statistics, and Discrete Math. I would tell people that my brain loves math but my eyes do not, and I had to retake two of my math classes in high school because I didn’t have access to assignments I could see— this included retaking Algebra 2 online. Low vision accommodations for print materials I used in my math classes included:
While this post primarily focuses on accessible print materials, I was also approved to use a large print calculator.
Similar to history, I also transferred into online classes partway through the semester for some of my science classes— I took Earth Science/Geology, Biology, Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science (online). Low vision accommodations for print materials that I used in my science classes included:
For AP Environmental Science, I would take exams by reading/typing answers in a Word document instead of using the Desire2Learn tests because I had trouble enlarging images and diagrams. The test was still proctored by the lab supervisor.
My favorite class in high school, I took Honors Band every semester and had daily band classes— I love playing multiple types of clarinet! Low vision accommodations for print materials I used in band classes included:
I started enlarging my own music for some ensembles, which was helpful when I started playing in college pep band and had to figure out how to enlarge my own music.
This post on low vision accommodations for print materials is written by Veronica Lewis, M.Ed. and reposted with permission from Veronica With Four Eyes.
Published October 2017. Updated June 2025
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