Working with Individuals with Visual Impairments** 

Identify yourself by name, don’t assume individual will recognize your voice even if you have met before.

Do not pet, touch, or feed guide dogs. A guide dog is a service animal and interfering with it can be dangerous to its visually impaired owner.

Never move an individual’s white cane.

If you would like to offer help – first identify yourself, offer your help and wait for offer to be accepted.  You may offer to read written information or offer to be a guide.  As a guide, offer your arm and give specific information about changes that you encounter, for example, let the individual know if he has to step up or down, turn left or right, etc. 

Tips for teachers

Speak to the class when you enter or leave the room.

Verbally announce room changes, assignments, due dates, etc.

Describe, in detail, important visual aspects of the learning activity.

Use descriptive and specific language when giving directions or reviewing an example.

Providing syllabus, notes and other supplemental information as electronic files (e.g. on a CD  or as an attachment to email) can be especially beneficial to students who use a screen reader (such as JAWS). 

** from “Strategies for Teaching Students with Vision Impairments”, West Virginia University.                                           Visit www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/text/vision_impair.html for additional information regarding classroom strategies.