Non-Optical Low Vision Devices

Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

Non-Optical
Low Vision Devices

The majority of persons who are blind or visually impaired will need some form of assistive technology in order access print on paper as well as electronic forms. Assistive technology (AT) also provides a means for producing written information. These pages provide a list of types of Assistive Technology a person with a visual impairment may use.

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By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated November 8, 2015

There are a variety of low-tech and mid-tech non-optical devices will help persons with low vision to access print and complete activities visually. Non-optical devices range from low tech to high tech.

Acetate or Color Filters

Acetate or color filters placed over the printed page will darken the print as well as heighten the contrast of the print with the background paper. It's usually preferred in yellow, but is available in other colors.

Bold Line Paper

Bold line paper can be a helpful tool for students with visual impairments by providing darker lines. Bold line paper comes in various formats, such as writing paper and graph paper, and allows a student to write script on the line or to construct a graph with increased contrast.

Book Stands & Slant Boards

Bookstands are another option for enlarging print through automatic magnification provided when a student is close to the material being viewed. Models that are designed specifically for persons with low vision help reduce postural fatigue by bringing the work closer to the reader’s eyes. When a bookstand is not available, one may be improvised by placing books beneath the book that is to be read. A variety of reading stands are available to enable the student to bring reading materials closer to himself/herself. These stands help eliminate back and neck strain for students who need to move close to materials in order to read it. Some students prefer using a three ring binder of various widths as it does not draw as much attention to themselves. Consider placing shelf liner on one side to create a non-slip surface for books. Use a clamp on the writing side if necessary to position paper so it does not slip down. This collapsible slant board (available in black and blue), from Therapro, is a favorite of mine as it collapses for easy transport between classes and is lightweight.

Felt Tip Pens

Allow student to use felt-tip pens (black or color) or 20/20 pens if the student needs a darker line and increased contrast. Usually preferred in black and available in various widths, these pens produce a bold letter or diagram. The use of different-colored markers will often help a student emphasize sections of his or her notes when scanning would otherwise be difficult. Similarly, allow the student to use a mechanical pencil as these pencils don’t become dull. A highlighting pen can be used to draw student’s attention to certain words and improve contrast between the print and the page.

Graphite Pencils

If the student needs to be able to erase, as most students will, the Faber-Castell #8B is a bold line pencil that does not run or smudge and provides a bold line. It has a soft lead that requires a gentle press to write. It can also be erased unlike markers.

Large Print Keyboards

I am not a fan of large print keyboards as I feel strongly that students should be tough touch typing skills that will allow them to type on any computer and not be dependent on a special keyboard. There are, however, students that this type of keyboard is appropriate for. If a student has cognitive delays or has physically not able to use touch typing skills, then an adapted keyboard may be the best solution.

Low Vision Watches

Low vision watches are important for students with visual impairments who are learning time management skills.

Reading Guides with highlighters

Reading guides with highlighters help students track print through a tinted window helping with both tracking needs and contrast needs. Reading guide strips are available in various colors including pink, yellow, blue, red and green. Although yellow is typically best, it is important to trial the different colors with the student to determine which color is most beneficial to the student.

Task Lighting

Some students will benefit from task lighting. Providing adequate lighting is equally as important as contrast, distance and size for a person to see well. Although a student may be sensitive to bright lighting and glare, providing light directed on the print will increase the clarity and assist the student in seeing particularly when lights are dimmed during Active Board presentations. Daylight type lights can be particularly helpful as they provide comfortable glare-free full-spectrum light. More conventional reading lamps, on the other hand, are less helpful as they must be positioned from behind and over the shoulder and onto the task. If using both a magnifier and task lighting, ensure that the light does not direct onto the magnifier or it can create glare as well as shadows. There are many options for task lighting on the market. This LED Foldi Lamp is a great example as it features 30 bright Daylight LEDs to provide comfortable glare-free full-spectrum light. Foldi will give up to 8 hours of light on batteries and unlimited illumination when connected to a laptop via the USB port, making it the ideal travel and office lamp.

Typoscopes

Typoscopes may be especially helpful to students who find it difficult to focus on a word or track a line of print. The typoscope blocks out the surrounding text allowing the student to focus on the important information. Typoscopes are matt black cards with a small reading window that allows just a few lines of text to be seen at a time. These can help with tracking and prevent reflections from the part of the page not being viewed. This can be helpful to users who have a reduced visual field or cataracts or corneal opacities. These can be purchased or created using matt black cardstock.

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.

In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:

· TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist

· TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist

For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.

TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details

· Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)

· Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

· Author: Carmen Willings

· Language: English

Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements

The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.

Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:

· Digital pdf download: 210 pages

· Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

· Author: Carmen Willings

· Language: English

Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement

The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page

Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:

· Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets

· Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

· Author: Carmen Willings

· Language: English

Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement

The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide.

Additional Use:

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.

For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page

Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:

· Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource

· Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

· Author: Carmen Willings

· Language: English

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Lotto Cards

The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.

On My Way File Folder Cards

Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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