Effective Classroom Adaptations for Students with Visual Impairments
Penny R. Cox, Mary K. Dykes
Shared by: C.K.
Basic traffic safety
• Playground boundaries
• Cafeteria use
• Computer use in library or media center
• “Readable” maps and charts
• Verbal (auditory) alternatives
• Emergency procedures
How does your school or classroom measure up in these categories when it comes to making adaptations for young people with visual impairments? You need to answer many questions: Can everybody exit the building quickly in the event of an emergency? Can all students locate and use water fountains? How about items on bookshelves in the classroom or library? Or special learning centers in the classroom?
We can appropriately teach students with visual impairments in general education settings. But we must be sure that we are informed about students’ visual abilities and their affect on learning and integration in the general classroom environment.
This article discusses strategies for including students with visual impairments into general education settings. The article provides a starting point from which general educators can begin to learn about visual impairments and build skills that will benefit all their students (see box, “Commonly Used Terms”).