Guide
Elementary School Classrooms And Low Vision Accessibility
Here are my tips for creating an inclusive and accessible classroom for students who are blind or low vision.
When I was working with an elementary school student with low vision, I collaborated with their support team and classroom teacher to make their elementary school classroom more accessible to students with visual impairments so that they could navigate the space independently. Before, the student was often hesitant to get up from their desk alone or would bump into a lot of items, so with the student’s input we worked with the teacher to address accessibility barriers so that all students could access the classroom more easily. Here is a list of tips and ideas for setting up an elementary school classroom for a student with visual impairment, with a focus on low vision and access to print/visual information, shared from the perspective of a former elementary school student with low vision.
Add an indicator to the classroom door
One student I worked with would often walk into the classroom next door by mistake because the doors looked similar, and I had another student who would wander up and down hallways trying to locate the door. Adding a visual indicator that makes the door easier to identify that will remain consistent throughout the school year is a helpful strategy for students with low vision or cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) that may have trouble identifying similar looking doors. Another option is to add a tactile indicator like a plastic adhesive dot, loose rubber band around a door handle, or other texture that the student can identify by touch to know they are in the right place.
Related links
- School Lockers and Low Vision
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
- High School Hallways and Low Vision
- Learning To Navigate My Internship Building: PM Intern With Low Vision
Use high contrast rugs and floor items
I have low vision myself, and one of the teachers I worked with asked me to come evaluate their classroom before welcoming a new student with low vision into their class to see if they should change anything. As I walked around the classroom without my white cane, I didn’t notice a dark-colored beanbag that matched the dark-colored floor, tripped, and fell face-first onto another beanbag next to it. This reminded me of another time when I was observing a classroom where the teacher asked students to come to the rug area, and the student with low vision had trouble finding the rug since it closely matched the colors of the floor.
While I am relieved the student wasn’t the one to fall on the bean bags, this experience highlighted the importance of having high contrast rugs and floor items so that students can identify obstacles or locate areas of interest. Other helpful strategies can include outlining a rug with colored tape so that the student can locate it visually, adding high-contrast pillows or cushions to seating areas, and ensuring floor items are kept away from walking paths.
Related links
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How I Decorate My Dorm Room With Low Vision
- How I Decorate A Bedroom For CVI
Consider adding fluorescent light covers
Fluorescent lights can be distracting or disorienting for low vision students that have light sensitivity or are sensitive to flickering lights. Elementary school students may not realize that lights are painful or distracting, and may act out or deal with sensory overload/meltdowns due to fatigue from bright lights, discomfort with flashing or flickering lights, or frustration from not being able to see something. Fluorescent light covers can help to minimize negative effects of overhead lighting, and they have been a helpful tool for many students with visual impairments that I’ve encountered.
Other ideas for improving classroom lighting include:
- Use surface lighting such as lamps
- If a student needs more light at their desk, consider task lighting like a book light that can provide targeted illumination
- Instead of having the classroom pitch black when the lights are out, keep a surface light on or partially dim the lights if a student is sensitive to strobe or flashing lights
- Use natural lighting from classroom windows
In middle school, I also started wearing prescription non-polarized tinted glasses because I had no control over what lights my teachers turned on/off in the classroom. Before I learned tinted glasses were a thing, I would wear sunglasses over my prescription glasses in class and take frequent vision breaks to minimize exposure to bright lights.
Related links
- Lighting And Low Vision
- Reduce Glare In The Classroom For Low Vision Students
- Environmental Accommodations For Low Vision Students
- How Tinted Glasses Help My Light Sensitivity
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- Five Common Technology Behaviors That Hurt My Brain
Add high-contrast tape to the edge of items
For a student with CVI, I noticed that they often had trouble locating furniture and other items in the classroom, until we added high-contrast tape outlines or partial outlines in a preferred color so that they could locate items more easily. I’ve also used this strategy with several students that have low vision who would otherwise have trouble finding visual landmarks or areas of interest in the classroom. Some ideas for places that may benefit from having high contrast tape added include:
- Edges of shelves
- Light switch cover
- Door
- Edge of student’s desk
- Table for turning in work
- Student’s cubby or locker, including technology shelves
- Outlet for charging devices
Another strategy is to incorporate items in the student’s preferred color or another color that provides adequate contrast. This can include things like pencil containers, supply boxes, or office supplies that the student is expected to retrieve.
Related links
- How I Decorate A Bedroom For CVI
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
Use high contrast markers and dry-erase boards for writing
Faded markers and light colored markers can be challenging for students with visual impairments to see, and may be difficult for optical aids or other assistive technology to detect as well. Using high contrast markers in dark, saturated colors (or other student preferred colors) against the dry-erase board can make it easier for students to read information written on the board or copy down notes.
Another way to ensure that dry-erase boards are easy for students to read is to ensure that the board is cleaned regularly, as having dark smudges or “ghost” text can impact the readability of text as well. For example, writing with a black marker on a faded gray section of the board may be challenging for students with low vision to see, and a student might not realize that they can’t see the text and miss out on information.
Another strategy for using dry erase boards with low vision students is to provide an option for students to use a dry-erase board at their desk in lieu of scratch paper. I use this strategy a lot for working out math problems or taking quick notes as I find it easier to read from/write on a dry-erase board compared to paper. I also worked with another teacher who would let students use dry-erase markers to write on their desk, creating a larger writing surface that could be used for working out problems.
Related links
- How To Make Things On The Board Easier To See
- Writing Aids For Low Vision: My Personal Superlatives
- How I Show Work For Math With Low Vision and Dysgraphia
- Strategies For Using Lined Paper With Low Vision
- Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
Provide anchor charts and educational posters in accessible formats
When I was talking to a classroom teacher, they mentioned being surprised that their visually impaired student scored lower than expected on an open book quiz where they were allowed to look around at the classroom posters for answers. These posters were impossible for the student to see, and the student ended up self-advocating and asking their teacher if they could have copies of posters and anchor charts in a text-only format that they could read at their desk. I’ve attached a post on creating accessible classroom posters below that shares several strategies.
Related links
- How To Create Accessible Classroom Posters For Students With Visual Impairments
- Adapting Accessible Trifold Posters For Low Vision
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
- Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Math Symbols: Math Problems and Low Vision
Reimagine the classroom library with accessible formats
Students with visual impairments often have print disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to read standard sized print books. One way to create a more inclusive and accessible classroom library is to incorporate links to digital books in multiple formats, or to provide a reading list with book titles so that the student (or a member of their support team) can find the book in an accessible format so they can read it.
Related links
- How To Find Accessible Picture Books For Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Summer Reading Lists For Print Disabilities
- How To Create An Accessible Classroom Library
Find a way to make all classroom jobs accessible
One student I worked with had the same classroom job every week for months while other students got to switch/rotate between jobs because the teacher wasn’t sure if a visually impaired student would be able to do other jobs on their own. Just like jobs outside of the classroom, there are several ways to incorporate classroom job accommodations/modifications for students with visual impairments, which can include:
- Line leader: Provide student with option to walk with a human guide
- Door holder: As the last student walks through the door, have them give a verbal indication they are the last person, e.g. “let’s go!”
- Pencil sharpener: Learn audio cues to figure out when a pencil is done sharpening
- Class pet: Have tactile measuring cups/spoons for food and store food in pop-top containers that are easier to seal, and show student how to pour water from sink
- Plant watering: Use a smaller watering can that is easier to hold and use touch to examine soil
- Passing out paper/collecting paper: Have the student familiarize themselves with the desk layout in the classroom while it is empty, and ensure walkways are always kept clear
- Cable manager: Show students how to locate charging port by touch, and add color labels to make it easier to locate cables and/or devices on a shelf
- Office messenger: Have the student practice walking back and forth to the office with a friend before walking on their own.
Another option is to incorporate items in a high contrast color or student’s preferred color, such as outlining the classroom phone so it is easier to locate, adding a colored label to a hand sanitizer bottle, or other areas of interest.
Related links
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- How To Organize and Identify Cords For Low Vision
- School Cafeterias and Low Vision
- How To Come Up With Sample Accommodations
More tips for elementary school classrooms and low vision accessibility
- Visual impairment is a spectrum, and students are the expert on their own conditions or usable vision. The student’s support team members (parents, teacher of the visually impaired, case manager, etc.) can also provide context on the student’s vision loss, but ultimately the student perspective should be centered
- Looking for ideas on how to introduce self-advocacy concepts? Read Learning to Self-Advocate
- Have a student preparing for middle school or going to multiple classrooms during the day? Check out the “sequel” to this post at Middle School Classrooms And Low Vision Accessibility
- Want more resources on teaching elementary school students with low vision? Browse Elementary School tag | Veroniiiica
This post on making elementary school classroom accessible for low vision is written by Veronica Lewis, M.Ed. and reposted with permission from Veronica With Four Eyes.
Published December 2020. Updated June 2025
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