Series: Working with all types of learners 01

Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list. My teaching is always adapting and changing. Additionally, you'll find other resources and more specifics on posts on this blog with the tag "Vision" and on the resources page of my website.

Welcome to the first installment in my series on working with all types of learners. I decided to create this series to (in no particular order) catalogue the things I was doing for reference and for the future, provide resources for teachers who may be new to working with various types of learners, and to help support advocates, teachers, and students in their educational journey. Today's installment will focus on supporting vision students.

Introduction

Today's blog post and resources focus on working with vision students. Like all disabilities and types of learners, there is a wide spectrum to what qualifies as a "vision student". Some students wear glasses, some have varying degrees of vision and legal blindness, and some have temporary or chronic conditions that may require different supports at different times. In my district, various schools have programs that focus on specific disabilities. Our school cluster (elementary, middle, high) houses the vision program for the district. We have dedicated TVIs who work with our students and provide a variety of life skills and classes in things like braille, and mobility. 

I am very happy to be personal and professional friends with our TVI and some of the paraprofessionals in this program. We work together closely to support students and I am really glad they are here! You will see references to them in this post as they have shared with me many ideas and resources that I use with my students. 

For the Teacher

What can we as teachers do to show our support or prepare ourselves for teaching vision students? Here are some things I've done:

• Learn braille basics. You can learn a lot about braille online for free. UEB Braille Online is a great place to start! Thank you to the TVI at my school for introducing this to me. 
• When working with vision students always introduce yourself when you begin a conversation: "Hi X. It's Ms. P." 
• NEVER guide, touch, etc. students without their consent. If you are walking with a vision student somewhere, you can ask if they'd like a guide, but respect their decision and move at their pace. 
• Remove unneeded obstacles from your room. If there is something you know is in someone's way, move it or make it clear where it is. 

Putting things into braille

If you are able to put things into braille, that's great! If you have someone at your school who can do it for you, or if your student has assistive technology that allows them to read documents as if they were in braille, these pointers might help you:

• Remove all formatting. While font, size, etc. can be useful for other types of learners, when putting things into braille they just complicate the issue. Keep all formatting choices out of the document you want to turn into a braille document. You can still use those things, just make sure to have an unformatted copy. 
• If you use pictures, make sure to include a picture description. The more detail the better. 
• Bear in mind that other languages use other braille symbols and this can mean that turning a document into braille might take a bit longer. If you teach Latin, however, the braille is uncontracted English braille, so it will be fairly easy! 
• Give your TVI or paraprofessional ample time to put things into braille. They are likely also teaching students skills and have to make multiple documents for multiple students. The more lead time you can give, usually, the better. 
• Special Note for novellas: As an author, I am very careful about copyright. Having said that, be aware that putting a document into braille is NOT a violation of copyright. I would still reach out and ask for a PDF or word copy, but know that (1) you don't need their permission to make a braille copy and that (2) they are not obligated to send you a format that is easy for braille. 
  

For the Students

Here is a quick list of ways to adapt activities and support vision students in your classroom. 

• Offer visual options: large print, large spacing, and braille
• Allow students to use assistive technology: braille sense/braille note, voice to text, audio reader, etc. 
• If you do picture talks, movie talks, etc. provide picture descriptions. That way students can participate in your discussions. Here is an example I made. Keep the picture descriptions in the L1. You will use the L2 to discuss, but you need to establish meaning first. 
• Provide multiple ways of expression. Some visions students might be able to draw, but others may need alternatives. While translation or answering questions is an alternative, it doesn't allow the same creative output that drawing might. Some other ways to allow creativity include:
  • creating a playlist that tells the story through song
  • writing a poem or creative story in L1
  • Using Wikki Stix, clay, etc. to create 3D pictures.