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Students with Vision

Impairments

Fact Sheet Series
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ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH VISION IMPAIRMENTS

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, there are an estimated 93,600

children between the ages of birth and 21 who are blind or visually impaired and being

served by some form of Special Education in the United States. The term visual

impairment includes conditions ranging from the presence of good usable vision, to low

vision, to the absence of any sight at all – total blindness.

The following is a quick overview of some of the accommodations that might be useful

for students with vision impairments. For a more in depth discussion, access JAN's

publications at http://askjan.org/media/atoz.htm. To discuss an accommodation

situation with a consultant, contact JAN directly.

Improving Mobility in the Classroom & Educational Facility:

 Mobility and orientation training

 Training with or allow the use of a mobility aid, such as a cane

 Tactile map of evacuation route and an emergency evacuation “partner” along with

Evacuation training

Accessing Printed Materials:

 Hand or stand magnification

 Materials in large print or enlarged on a photo copier

 Task lighting

 Closed Circuit Television System (CCTV)

 Optical devices

 Bold-lined paper or writing guides

 Braille books and materials

 Braille slate and stylus

 Talking books

 Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system or a text reader

 Tactile image enhancer

 Qualified reader

Learning Mathematics and Science:

 Large display/button calculators

 Talking calculators (business, scientific, & statistical)

 Abacus

 Nemeth code

 Tactile image enhancer for tactile math graphics or science diagrams

 Large print, tactile, or talking measuring tools

 Talking thermometer

 Liquid level indicator

 Talking scale
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 Large display, tactile, or talking timer or stopwatch

 Three-dimensional tactile models

Accessing Computer:

 Accessibility options on PC for increasing the font size

 External computer screen magnifier or screen magnification software

 Large print or Braille keyboards, key tops, or labels

 Screen reading software

 Computer Braille display and Braille printer or embosser

Improving Personal Management Skills:

 Talking or Braille watches

 Braille or talking note takers or personal data assistants (PDA’s)

 Voice activated personal organizers

 Digital recorder

Resources for Students with Vision Impairments

American Foundation for the Blind

11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300

New York, NY 10001

Toll Free: (800) AFB-LINE or 232-5463

Direct: (212) 502-7600

Fax: (212) 502-777

afbininfo@afb.net

http://www.afb.org

American Printing House for the Blind

1839 Frankfort Avenue

P O Box 6085

Louisville, KY 40206-0085

Toll Free: (800) 223-1839 (US and Canada)

Direct: (502) 895-2405

Fax: (502) 899-2274

info@aph.org

http://www.aph.org

Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)

107 Commerce Center Drive, Suite 204

Huntersville, NC 28078

Voice/TTY: (704) 947-7779

Fax: (704) 948-7779

ahead@ahead.org

http://ahead.org/
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The National Library Service for the Blind

Library of Congress

1291 Taylor Street, NW

Washington, DC 20011

Toll Free: (888) NLS-READ or 657-7323

Direct: (202) 707-5100

TDD: (202) 707-0744

Fax: (202) 707-0712

nls@loc.gov

http://www.loc.gov/nls/

Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic

20 Roszel Road

Princeton, NJ 08540

Toll Free: (866) RFBD-585 or 732-3585

Member Services: (800) 221-4792

http://www.rfbd.org

Updated 3/23/10.
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This document was developed by the Job Accommodation Network, funded by a

contract agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment

Policy (DOL079RP20426). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the

position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names,

commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of

Labor.