Education: Educational Strategies

This section is scheduled for expansion in the near future, so please check back frequently to see what's new.

Classroom teachers will find information on providing access to the curriculum for students who are blind or visually impaired. These teaching tips, educational strategies, accommodations, and instructional adaptations are useful in both inclusive and special education settings.

Full-Text Articles

Tips for Teachers of Braille Reading Students: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/braille-reading-tips.htm
For general education teachers with a braille reader in a mainstreamed classroom.

Mainstreaming Education, ADVISOR: Assisting the Development of Visually Impaired Students Through Online Resources
http://www.e-advisor.us/mainstreaming.php?fontsize=normal&hicontrast
A short list of tips for general education teachers with a student with visual impairment.

Strategies for Teaching Students with Vision Impairments: West Virginia University
http://www.as.wvu.edu/%7Escidis/vision.html
Specifically for science teachers, but this article has excellent advice for all teachers with a student with visual impairments, including etiquette, understanding alternate formats, and curriculum accommodations.

Educational Practices
http://nationaldb.org/ISSelectedTopics.php?topicCatID=9
This section of the DB-LINK website has several articles about educational practices related to students who are deafblind.

Teaching Students with Visual and Multiple Impairments: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/vmi/index.htm
These articles are a rich source for teachers whose students are visually impaired and have additional disabilities, including autism and cognitive impairments.

Teaching Math to Visually Impaired Students: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
http://www.tsbvi.edu/math/index.htm
Advice from an expert teacher on the subject of math education for students with visual impairments, including teaching strategies, alternate formats, graphics, and use of the abacus.

Tactile Graphics: A Beginner's Guide to Graphics for Visually Impaired Children: The Reginald Phillips Research Programme, University of Sussex
http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/reginald-phillips/beginnersPaper.htm
A teacher's basic introduction to creating tactile graphics.

Environmental Adaptations: Preschool for the Totally Blind Child
http://www.e-advisor.us/adaptations/
Advice for teachers and support staff for accommodating youngsters who are visually impaired to a preschool program. Emphasis is on creating a welcoming social and physical environment and enhancing the child's independence.

Project Math Access: Research and Development Institute, Sycamore, Illinois
http://s22318.tsbvi.edu/mathproject/
A comprehensive program that addresses the difficulties visually impaired students encounter when studying math; aimed at improving their skills and academic performance.

Curriculum Adaptations: Tactual Art, VI Guide
http://www.viguide.com/tactualart.htm
Enhancing art appreciation in preschool and elementary school children with projects and activities that teach the children to enjoy beauty tactilely.

Web-Based Organizations and Resources

Instructional Resources: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/index.htm#Subject
This list of online resources should be the first stop for general education teachers seeking to accommodate a student with visual impairments in a mainstreamed classroom. Includes advice on curriculum planning, getting textbooks, creating graphic aids, daily living skills, and much more.

Math: Computerized, Spoken, and Braille, Equal Access to Software and Information
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/math.htm
Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) has assembled these links for teachers whose math students are blind or visually impaired. Includes tips for classroom accommodations, advice for reading math aloud to students, and information about assistive technology.