Low Vision

Request and encourage student input on how to best accommodate the student's learning needs.

Consider the position, lighting, and seating needs of the student during presentations or when using text, manipulatives, transparencies or other projected images.

Provide large-print lecture notes, handouts, and worksheets.

Orient the student to the classroom (dimensions, exits, furniture arrangement, hazards) initially and whenever a change occurs.

To find talking calculators, consult the National Federation of the Blind Independence Market Online.

United States maps in large print are available from the American Printing House for the Blind.

Rulers, protractors, and other measurement tools are available in tactile and large-print format from the American Printing House for the Blind. Additional measurement devices can be found at AssisTech.

Give clear verbal descriptions of visual aids including video and printed content used throughout your presentation.

Use a scanner to create an electronic version of images, charts, or maps, and display them in a larger format on a computer monitor, or use an LCD projector.

Provide class assignments ahead of time in electronic format. Avoid last-minute additions to assignments.

Consider the needs of students with disabilities during lab orientation and lab safety meetings.

Assign group activities in which all students take responsibility and contribute according to their abilities.

Use multiple formats—oral, written, visual, tactile, electronic—for instruction and demonstrations.

For general information about accommodations for students with disabilities in science classes, consult Working Together: Science Teachers and Students with Disabilities and The Winning Equation: Access + Attitude = Success in Math and Science.

For additional information, consult the AccessSTEM Knowledge Base.

Consider computer accommodations for writing activities. Provide a document format that can be edited electronically by the student, such as an accessible PDF file, a Word document, or a plain text document. Consult the video presentation and publication Working Together: Computers and People with Sensory Impairments.