Teaching Strategies

• Personal delivery – speech, visibility, position, classroom distraction equipment

• Presentation – structure, pace, contributions
• Visual Aids

VIDEO

Personal delivery

• Identify yourself
• Introduce others or ask fellow students to identify themselves prior to speaking
• Speak naturally, don’t avoid language you would use normally such as the terms ‘look’ and
’see’
• Use accurate and specific language when giving instructions
• Glare from light may affect an individuals vision, so altering your teaching environment may
be necessary

Presentation

• For students with vision impairment your teaching style will need to be verbal – so ensure
that you are not rushing through information.
• Verbalise what is written on PowerPoints or whiteboards
• Talk through any procedures or calculations that you may take
• Describe any graphs or charts and read any written information out loud
• Offer to record any sessions on a phone so that the student is able to go back over what you
said if they cannot create notes.
• Allow more time to complete tasks and provide breaks to combat fatigue.

Visual Aids
• Hardcopies of any materials prior to starting the class,
• Any written material is accessible in the appropriate format, such as large print for an
individual with low vision, software such as a screen reader that converts information on a
computer screen to audio or to a braille format.
• Make the required books lists and course materials available early so there is sufficient time
for them to be reproduced

How does impaired vision affect reading

Impaired vision often makes reading difficult by:

• Reducing the amount of light that enters the eye
• Blurring the retinal image
• Damaging the central portion of the retina best suited to reading
• Light reduction and blurring reduce the effective contrast of the text, while central retinal
damage impairs the ability to see small print and to make eye movements that are crucial to
reading.
Font legibility

• Students who are blind or visually impaired will typically need adaptations to access printed
information that will allow the student to access all areas of the curriculum.
• Contrast – test should be printed with the highest possible contrast
• Color – Use light letters on a dark background or dark letters on a light background
• Point size - Type should be large, preferably at least 16 to 18 points, but keep in mind that
the relationship between readability and point size differs somewhat among typefaces.
• Spacing – Should be at least 25 to 30 percent of the point size. the American foundation for
the blind, line spacing should be at 1.5 rather than single space
• Font - Avoid complicated, decorative or cursive fonts and, when they must be used, reserve
them for emphasis only.
• Font style – stick to upper and lower case rather than italics, oblique or condensed
• Letter spacing - Text with close letter spacing often presents difficulties for readers who are
partially sighted, especially those with central visual field defects. Where possible, spacing
should be wide.

Technology
• Magnifying devices
• Braille books
• Recorded books
• Screen reading
• Text-to-speech apps
• Print-to-braille software

Strategies to Help with Transitions Between Grade Levels 


• When preparing for the transition between classrooms, it is necessary to prepare the
student and the receiving teacher. 

• Preparation for transition should begin in early spring. 

• The teacher will need to be provided with information about the student’s strengths and
needs. The receiving teacher may also need to be provided with information about the
visual impairment and the educational implications. This provides the (parents and) teachers
with the opportunities to discuss goals, instructional strategies and curricular modifications.
• It is beneficial for the receiving teacher to visit the student in the current classroom
environment in order to observe the child’s participation as well as the current instructional
strategies that are effective for the student. 

• The student may make visits to the future classroom. The student needs to be oriented to
the classroom. It may be helpful for the student to be accompanied by the teacher assistant
or current teacher, in order to maintain some familiarity.
• If possible, prepare a videotape of the student to familiarize the receiving 
 teacher.
• A planning meeting of the support team is conducted to exchange information 
 about the
student as well as to discuss instructional strategies and approaches 
 that have been most
effective. This meeting may be held in spring or early fall.
• Braille or large print textbooks for the following year need to be ordered in March