Organization at School

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Updated May 27, 2024
Students in school are expected to know and implement organizational strategies and skills in order to manage their materials and be able to retrieve assignments. For this reason, it is important for students who are blind or have visual impairments to organize and care for the special tools and materials that they use. Organization skills are important skills to work on early to best prepare the student for their academic career as well as their future job/career. The following are some strategies to help students develop and maintain organization.

  • Obtaining Own Belongings: Encourage students to independently retrieve and store their belongings, promoting responsibility and independence. Implement a consistent labeling system throughout the classroom to assist students in locating materials easily. Although it may be tempting to want to speed up the process or help the student, it is important for the student to obtain their own belongings. This not only helps the student learn where items belong but also helps teach the student responsibility.
  • School Locker: Using traditional combination locks on lockers can be stressful for everyone. Add the challenge of not being able to see the numbers makes traditional locks a barrier with students who are blind or have low vision. Arrange for the student to have a locker, preferrably at the end of a row, adapted with a lock with a key. 
  • Maintaining Notebooks, Binders, & Materials: Label notebooks and binders with large print or braille to facilitate easy identification. Consider individual students' visual and learning needs when establishing organization systems, such as color coding or labeling folders and containers.
  • Maintaining Personal Address, Directories & Passwords: Help students maintain personal address/phone directories and passwords, whether in electronic or alternative formats. Establish organized systems for storing usernames and passwords for online accounts.
  • Caring for Assistive Technology: Teach students to care for assistive technology devices, including cleaning, proper storage, and safe transportation. The student also needs to learn how to problem solve when something goes wrong with any equipment. Provide guidance on problem-solving techniques in case of equipment malfunctions and identify appropriate contacts for assistance.
  • Utilizing Tools for Organization: Introduce and instruct students on the use of organizational tools such as staplers, paper clips, pocket folders, and index tabs. Provide direct instruction and practice on how to operate these tools safely and effectively.
 
By implementing these strategies and fostering independence in organizational skills, students with visual impairments can effectively manage ​

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