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When a Student Doesn't Qualify

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Revised March 11, 2018

You may wonder what to do when the student's vision cannot be corrected to 20/20 but they are found to not meet the eligibility criteria for school based vision services. Other school personnel and/or specialists may be able to address the students unique visual and learning needs. A reading specialist may be contacted to work on reading and learning disabilities. An occupational therapist and a physical therapist may address concerns of eye hand coordination and vision perception difficulties.

Some students may be under the care of a developmental optometrist who has suggested the student participate in vision therapy. If a student is participating in vision therapy, these therapy sessions take place in a clinical setting under the direct guidance of an optometrist with homework activities to take place at home.

So how can the school support the student who's vision is not "normal" but does not qualify for school based vision services from a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments. As stated above, the student may be eligible for other areas of school support (OT, reading specialist, etc.). Additionally, the school can provide the student with necessary accommodations. Accommodations should be based upon the assessment of visual skills by the optometrist (or ophthalmologist) and the anticipated classroom demands. The student's educational team should consider recommendations for current appropriateness and NOT as ongoing learning approaches or management techniques. Optometrists who support vision therapy expect student's vision to improve, therefore, if the student's vision improves, the student may not need accommodations for school progress.

Many developmental optometrists will provide the school with a checklist of accommodations the student may need with the accommodations they feel necessary circled or highlighted. As with any student, these accommodations can be provided without meeting the eligibility as a student with a visual impairment but data should be collected and maintained to determine whether the accommodations are needed.

Allow the use of a finger in following along the line of print when reading. A marker assists but direct tactual finger contact with movement will offer greater assistance to the student with eye tracking difficulties.
Encourage eye contact with this child in all listening situations.
Minimize chalkboard-to-desk copying, and where possible substitute desk copy work.
Modify task demands to insure success at the child's present skill level.
Spoken instructions will be followed better if given singly, visualized and executed before the next instruction is issued.
Color coded tasks may confused rather than assist this student.
Physical or line guides will help in space organization.
Vocalization or sub-vocalization of visually presented information will be helpful in building visual memory.
Tasks requiring fine motor paper-pencil responses should be restructured to allow more gross motor involvement.
Direct chalkboard tracing of large well-written script may be helpful in improving handwriting.
Encourage the use of a pencil grip.
Promote a reading and writing distance equal to the length of the child's arm from elbow to middle knuckle.
Where possible use a sloping work surface for reading and writing.
Discourage head tilting or lateral head shifting, which allows one-eyed seeing as the nose blocks the vision of one eye.
Encourage proper paper placement and posture for writing.
If the front of the classroom is used for most teaching activities, this child's focusing difficulties will be alleviated by seating toward the front. (or back, left side, etc.)
Stress encountered during near point activities will be reduced with the use of "learning" or "counter-stress" lenses, which have been prescribed.
Short visual work periods will tend to reduce visual stress and possible related fidgeting.
Reduce time on written homework.
Consider the use of cursive writing to help reduce reversals and directional inconsistencies present in manuscript.
Encourage egocentric and spatial right/left awareness with physical activities.
Simplify physical activities to build confidence and success in gross motor skill and development.
Directional confusion and resultant reversals will be reduced by supplying orientation arrows with copy material.
Large print books and material should be considered for this student.
Due to the visual difficulties of this child, timed tests might not be accurate measures of performance.
Scranton tests may be difficult. Please let someone bubble answers for this child.
Visualization of letter formation and spelling of short words will be assisted by "back tracing". Trace a letter or a short word on the student's back, say it aloud and have him "feel" and "see" the pattern with his eyes closed.
Misreading of word beginnings and endings may be helped by slowing the student's responses and delaying inaccurate and premature "closure" (e.g. have the student vocalize at half speed or use a timing device such as a metronome to encourage "seeing" before saying).
Finger movement games will help develop fine-motor control for writing.
During testing, allow a teacher or other designated person mark the bubbles on any testing that requires the filling in of small answer bubbles, in order to facilitate an accurate measure of this student's academic ability.
During testing allow additional time on any timed testing, in order to facilitate an accurate measure of this student's academic ability.
During testing allow a teacher or other designated person read the test questions to this student.