Setting Up For Success

Every little change that's made actually adds to the whole being changed. And first you change attitudes.

(Parent of a child with vision impairment)

Each student with vision impairment is an individual who will experience the same sorts of needs, joys and fears as other students. The level of impact the vision impairment will have on learning depends on the demands of the environment and on the student's ability to meet those demands.

Access is a key issue for students with vision impairment - access to the learning environment, information, the curriculum, and opportunities for making relationships. Some students will require adaptations to the class organisation and teaching styles and techniques. Some will naturally adopt alternative strategies with minimal intervention, while others will require considerable assistance. As always, this will depend on the student's individual abilities and needs.

Teachers can provide a positive role model for the acceptance of students with vision impairment. This modelling and guidance will have a positive and constructive influence on classroom peers.

Teachers can expect that students with vision impairment, along with their peers, will:

• Respond to open expectations of their learning potential;
• Want to be part of the class and of activities throughout the school;
• Want to have friends;
• Want to be valued as learners;
• Go on to tertiary education.

However, the students may require extra support in some areas of learning and social interaction.

Students with vision impairment may need to learn to acquire knowledge in alternative ways. In this section the focus is on the educational implications of vision impairment and the adaptations, resources and strategies teachers might use. The aim is to maximise learning opportunities and to ensure the curriculum is accessible through increased opportunities for active engagement in classroom programmes. Adapting the environment or materials allows access to learning that would otherwise be unavailable, and will often be the deciding factor as to whether a student with vision impairment succeeds or struggles.

Learning strategies appropriate for students with vision impairment are frequently of benefit to all students.

Learning involves not only achieving the outcome but also experiencing the process. Wherever possible, students with vision impairment should be able to work in class in the same manner as their peers - on their own or in a group, as appropriate. Working as part of a group develops skills of co-operation and successful teamwork as well as showing the importance of interdependence. Students who are blind or vision impaired should be assisted to regard help from their fully sighted peers as part of a reciprocal relationship to which they themselves are required to make a significant contribution.