Social Studies Adaptations

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Updated July 3, 2025
​Collaboration between classroom teachers and Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) is essential to ensure students who are blind or visually impaired can fully access and participate in social studies instruction. The following strategies, tools, and materials support inclusion and engagement in the social studies curriculum.

Instructional Strategies

  • Role-Playing and Hands-On Activities. Engage students in experiential learning by incorporating role-playing activities to explore historical events, cultures, and occupations. Offer opportunities to dress in cultural attire, handle relevant objects or tools, listen to traditional music, and sample foods to bring cultures to life in accessible, multi-sensory ways.
  • Use of Maps and Visual Materials. As social studies instruction expands to broader geographical topics, introduce map-reading and interpretation of symbols, graphs, and charts. Work collaboratively to ensure maps and data visualizations are made accessible using tactile and auditory methods. Provide accessible materials promptly so students can participate in class activities simultaneously with their peers.
  • Creation of Accessible Materials. Design and prepare tactile materials such as maps, 3D models, adapted diagrams, and raised-line drawings. Use different textures and tactile indicators to differentiate features. Partner with classroom teachers to align adapted resources with instructional goals.
  • Explicit Instruction in Visual Literacy. Teach students how to read and interpret pie charts, bar graphs, timelines, and other visuals common in social studies. Reinforce learning through practice and guide students in developing strategies to analyze visual data.
  • Audio Descriptions for Videos. ​Encourage classroom teachers to select videos with audio description or provide an adult to narrate visual content. Ensure that all visual elements critical to understanding are described aloud to promote equitable learning.

Adaptations in Materials

Tables and Charts
  • Leave space between groups of information, while keeping data aligned in proper columns.
  • For graphs: separate bars with spaces and use diagonal lines (rather than horizontal or vertical) to prevent confusion with the graph’s shape.
  • Choose textures carefully to avoid visual or tactile clutter.
  • For line graphs, use distinct, easy-to-follow lines that are clearly different from one another.
Maps
  • Simplify information presented.
  • Use solid textures rather than outlines.
  • Employ a variety of tactile materials:
    • Map bases: cardboard, corkboard, ceiling tiles, Styrofoam
    • Lines: twine, plastic-coated wire, yarn
    • Points: beads, nail heads, hole-punched dots
    • Secondary features: soft fabric or felt
    • Key features: sandpaper or textured paper/fabric

​Enriching Experiences

Classroom Visitors
If off-campus experiences aren’t feasible, invite guest speakers into the classroom. Guests should bring artifacts and tools related to their work or the studied culture for students to explore hands-on. Encourage active listening and facilitate discussions that connect new information with students’ prior knowledge.

Accessible Social Studies Materials

  • Braille Transcribers Kits (APH)
    • Countries and Continents: Includes embossed and printed map outlines commonly found in textbooks. Use as templates to create tactile maps with craft tools and braille labels.
    • U.S. Maps: Contains outlines of North America, the U.S., its regions, and original 13 colonies. Can be used for thermoforming or swell paper graphics.
  • Tactile World Globe (APH) A 12" globe with a tactile overlay indicating continents, elevation, and latitude/longitude lines. ​
  • Map Study I Kit (APH) Introduces basic map skills by helping students create maps of familiar environments like classrooms.
  • Recognizing Landforms (APH) Audio-tutorial with tactile landforms and cassette guides to teach 40 geographic concepts.
  • Relief Map of the Continental U.S. (APH) This plastic map shows exaggerated elevations and high-contrast paint for land and water areas.
  • State Map Collection (APH) Embossed maps of U.S. regions. Customizable with tactile markings and braille labels.
  • Tactile Town: 3-D O&M Kit (APH) Useful for teaching local geography like neighborhoods and towns in a hands-on format.
  • U.S. Puzzle Map (APH) A topographical, colorful, and tactile map featuring raised elements, braille abbreviations, and overlays.
  • World at Your Fingers (APH) Tactile world maps with high-contrast surfaces, braille/print labels, and textured features for land and water.
  • World Maps (APH) Comprehensive thermo-formed maps showing continents, regions, and countries with varied textures and elevations to improve readability.
​By using these instructional strategies, material adaptations, and specialized tools, educators can create inclusive and meaningful social studies learning experiences for students who are blind or visually impaired. Collaboration, creativity, and timely access to adapted materials are key to supporting student success and engagement.

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