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Clothing Management Adaptations

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated April 7, 2020

Independence in dressing is an important skill for everyone including individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It may take  longer to master these skill but it is essential to encourage independence and avoid the urge to do the task for the person in a rush to complete the activity. It is also important for the individual to develop clothing management skills.

Dresser Drawer Organization

Keeping clothing organized is an important skill for students to learn. When setting up the student's drawers, it may be easier to designate drawers for particular kinds of clothing. ​
  • Group clothing items and put them neatly in drawers.
  • Braille/print labels can be placed on the lip of the drawers to help with organization.
  • Boxes, bins and other organizers can be used to keep groups of articles separate within drawers.
  • Plastic ice cube trays can be used to store or separate small items such as jewelry, watches, earrings and tie tacks.
  • Plastic bags can store and separate gloves, hosiery, scarves, earmuffs, handkerchiefs, etc.

Closet

Encourage independence by expecting the student to hang up and retrieve his or her own coat on a hook. Teaching students how to hang clothes on a hanger can be particularly challenging. One possible method is to lay the article flat on a surface such as a bed and then insert the hanger into the shoulders. Demonstrate how the top button can be buttoned to keep shirts from slipping off the hangers. Hooks and bars in a high contrast can be purchased or painted for students with low vision. Tactual cues can be used to identify a student’s hook or a plastic separator can be placed and a tactual label can be placed on bars to group similar clothing. Take advantage of commercially available clothing organizers and pair with labels to help the student maintain the organization. Incorporate matching skills by matching and storing shoes in shoe boxes and hanging shoe holders.

Laundry Tips

Encourage students to be a part of the cleaning and ironing process, keeping safety in mind. Students should be taught how to examine clothing for spots and smells to ensure they are clean and fresh. If your school has the facilities, teach students how to sort laundry according to washing needs, load a pile of clothes into a washing machine, set the dial, add detergent, transfer clothes from washing machine to the dryer, and operate the dryer. Laundry cleaning supplies can be labeled in large print, tactual markers or braille as well as the settings on the washer and dryer. 
  • Label the basic settings on dials by adding a Bumpon blister or create a template that fits over the dial. Transparent markers are necessary so sighted household members can still read the markings. It's easier to just mark the basic settings.
  • ​Teach family members to pin matching socks together or use sock locks before placing them in the dirty clothes basket.
  • ​Use mesh lingerie bags to keep undergarments together. 
  • Use detergent pods to eliminate the need to measure or pour laundry detergent. 
Picture
Sock Locks are GREAT for keeping like colored socks together when doing laundry! It can be difficult for students with low vision to have a difficult time discriminating blues and blacks and other similar shades as well as for students who are blind.

Shopping for Clothes

If a student is concerned about keeping up with the latest trends and styles, encourage them to discuss trends with friends or family, particularly those who have the same interests and/or tastes. ​
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