Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Top tips to include children and young people with a visual impairment in the classroom
Teaching position:
- Avoid standing in front of windows – this can reduce you to a silhouette and make it difficult for all learners to see you properly
- Learners who have VI need to sit in the best position to see the whiteboard but not separately from the other learners
- Learners with vision impairment need to sit close to a power source if they are using specialist ICT
Whiteboard:
- Provide individual copies of anything presented on the whiteboard
- Use a clearly contrasting pen – e.g. black on white
Teaching and learning resources:
- Print resources should be in an appropriate format. (print size, font and contrast)
- Use real objects and artefacts to support your teaching
- Learners to have their own whiteboard and pen and also their own copy of resources e.g. phonics flashcards
- Ensure support staff have time to modify materials before the lesson
- Give extra time, if needed, for VI learners to process information and complete tasks
- Keep worksheets clear and uncluttered; keep drawings, tables and graphs as simple as possible
- PE equipment should be clean and create a good contrast with the surface e.g. no green bean bags on grass
- School trips: Plan and risk assess. Ensure CYP can access resources/activity e.g. Can CYP handle objects etc.
Classroom accessibility:
Lighting:
- Classroom to have good ambient lighting
- Windows to have blinds to reduce glare
Physical accessibility:
- Walkways to be clear
- Ensure classroom storage does not create obstacles
- Layout of the classroom to be kept consistent
- Plan and practise 1:1 procedure for fire alarms
Storage and labelling of resources:
- Resources kept in the same place and clearly labelled