Vision: Impossible

It’s not hard to picture what going back to school is like for most students. But what is it like for a person with low vision? Well, while they face a unique set of challenges and use different tools, their school experience is more similar to their sighted peers than might originally meet the eye.  Back to school Going back to school can be a very daunting task especially when you can’t see to understand what is happening in the world around you. Always remember that you should prepare for everything to change and if nothing changes then that is a bonus.  Alternative learning tools There are many alternative learning tools that a student who is blind or partially sighted may use. These include braille Or large print, screen readers, audiobooks and digital text or tactile maps and diagrams.  Braille or large print Braille  Braille is a code which uses 6 dots to represent both letters in the alphabet and contractions depending which grade the braillist is usin...

Navigating education with a visual impairment can be difficult, especially when you are newly diagnosed and don’t know what support is out there.   QTVI  A QTVI (Qualified Teacher of Vision Impairment) is a specialist who comes to monitor a persons vision. They do not measure the same vision as what would be measured at a hospital appointment. They measure the vision that is usable on a day to day basis.  They are the ones who let the setting know about any adaptions that you may need to your materials in order for the student to have the same access to education as their peers.  Reasonable adjustments  Reasonable adjustments give any who has a disability equal access to education and work.  For those with visual impairments, in education, reasonable adjustments include, materials in larger font or braille, assistive technology and specific seating in classrooms.  Reasonable adjustments can be changed as required.  EHCP An EHCP (Educatio...

 Assistive technology is a piece of technology that has been created to serve a specific purpose.  In this post we will be discussing screen readers, these help people who are blind or have low vision to know what is displayed on the screen of their device.  All screen readers are built slightly differently but serve the same purpose.  There are 2 main types of screen readers. Ones that are built into devices and those that are built into external software.  Built in screen readers include: VoiceOver on Apple, Talkback on Samsung, Narrator on Windows and ChromeVox on Google. External software that have screen readers include: Jaws, ZoomText (created by Freedom Scientific), and SuperNova (made by Dolphin Computer Access).  Now, screen readers on external software usually come paired with magnification tools as this means that only one licence is required even if vision loss progresses. The licences on external screen reader software do expire so need r...

Welcome to Vision: Impossible. Where we will learn about all things related to visual impairment.  Purpose of the Blog To share people’s experiences of living with visual impairments To explain misconceptions about visual impairments  To explain ways that you can help people who are visually impaired  Discuss assistive technology  And much more  First let’s understand what Visual Impairments are Visual impairments are typically described as a level of vision loss that cannot be corrected fully by surgery, glasses or contact lenses.  In the UK visual impairment is classified with 2 different registrations: sight impaired and severely sight impaired (this registration also covers those who are fully blind).  The impact of visual impairments differ massively from person to person.  Lets briefly discuss resources and support that is available for those who have visual impairments (this will be discussed in more depth later) Organisations: There are ma...