Accessibility for Low Vision Students

I began my career in education as a diagnostic prescriptive teacher in the field of specific learning disabilities for students in K-12 classrooms.  My goal was to find methods and strategies that would help students reach their full potential.  Through observation and assessment of individual students I made recommendations to classroom teachers for the best methods and strategies to use with their special education students.  In some cases I modeled those practices in a co-teaching environment to ensure a successful transition.   Helping students reach their full potential is a goal which has driven my entire career as an educator.

In this blog I would like to share some methods and strategies I have successfully used with my students.  In my first case you will meet Rosemary.  She was a first grader with cerebral palsy.  Rosemary was also legally blind.  On a typical day she sat in the back of the classroom and did not interact with the teacher or other students.  Rosemary never acted out in a bad way and it was easy to forget she was a child that required special attention.  I noticed that Rosemary would pick up objects and hold them very close to her face.  In an effort to determine what Rosemary could actually see, I picked up a magic marker and drew a vertical line on a piece of paper.  Holding her hand in an upright position I told her a vertical line runs up and down in the same direction as her hand.  I repeated this exercise using a horizontal line and a horizontal hand position.  Once I knew she understood the concept I drew several thick black lines and asked her to identify the line direction as vertical or horizontal.  In each case Rosemary successfully identified the line direction.  Next I wrote her name with the thick black magic marker.  She started to giggle when I read her name.  That was a major breakthrough for both of us.  At that point in my career there were no large print books for children.  I hand printed everything Rosemary read.  This was a very time consuming task.

Today… things are different.  There are so many options available to teachers and students through the use of technology. 

Option # 1:  Copy text, paste into a word processor and change/resize font as needed.  This option works great when text can be captured, copied, moved, and changed. 

Options # 2: Use the “Magnifier” tool for a closer look at any information or program on the computer screen.  To locate the “Magnifier” tool, type magnifier in the desktop search box.  Next, click the magnifier program name which will immediately engage the magnifier.  The magnifier menu bar allows the user to change the view from full screen to lens view or docked view.  Experiment with the different views to see which one works best.  To disengage the magnifier program click the X in the right corner of the magnifier menu bar.  If the menu bar is not visible, click on the magnifying glass.  This action will return the magnifying menu bar to desktop screen where the program can be closed.

Option # 3:  The Internet is easier to see and explore with accessibility settings and features in Internet Explorer 11.  This web browser makes it easier to copy and paste text from Web pages to word processors.  This browser also has a built in zoom feature usually found on the right side of the status bar.  Click on the percent drop down arrow and select the required magnification needed or click directly on the number to cycle between 100-125-150 and back to 100.  Clicking directly on the number is a great way to give text a little boost quickly.  If the use of another browser is preferred the zoom feature will be included.  Check the browser's help menu to learn how to use this feature. 

All three options have been included in the following piktochart:

To view this piktochart online click the following link:  https://magic.piktochart.com/output/8706398-accessibility-for-low-vision-students 

I use all three options in my daily life... as I am getting older and my vision is not what it used to be.  I believe we need to make our devices work harder not our eyes.  Using accessibility features enables all students to have the same educational opportunities.

Linda Hunter, M.Ed.
West Chester University
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Microsoft Innovative Educator
National Senior Trainer- Intel(r) Teach Program
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Part Time Professional Development for Clarity Innovations, Inc.