As a teacher of a regular public school classroom I am sure you have been a little intimidated or nervous when you are suddenly told you will be getting a sight impaired child in your classroom. Probably some of the first things you are thinking about are: "Will the student be able to keep up with the program?" "Will they be comfortable in my classroom?" And you are probably thinking as a teacher, "Will I be able to fulfill my responsibility to ensure that this student is given the best possible help to enable them to succeed in my classroom?" Well there are answers to almost all of these questions and all it takes is a little caring and creativity.

When putting notes on the blackboard, it may be a good idea to use a bright yellow chalk that will stand out over a standard white colour. If the students have enough sight that they can copy notes off the board they would undoubtedly find yellow chalk to be a little easier to read. Often the student may use a miniature telescope to read the blackboard, this device resembles a sea captain's telescope and one major problem that is often encountered is dirty blackboards that hinder the student's ability to read effectively...a clean board can make a world of a difference for them.

For students who do not have enough sight to copy notes off the board, you may want to give them the original copy of the notes you used to write from on the board. I have found that photocopying other students' notes is not really a good idea as each student writes differently and the sight impaired student may find it difficult to read certain types of handwriting. Sight impaired students often find it much easier to read print rather than cursive writing.

A major problem faced by sight impaired students is glare in the classroom from the sunlight shining and reflecting off of certain objects. If the student is experiencing difficulty of this sort it may be a good idea to offer to allow the student to change seats to allow him or her to feel more comfortable and have less of a strain on the eyes. Depending on the time of the day, a seating change may be required in the morning and also the afternoon when the sun has shifted somewhat. Also if you have shades or curtains in your classroom, drawing them slightly to block the glare may be of great help as well.

When using an overhead projector to have students copy notes from, a good idea is to ensure that the sight impaired student has the original copy of the notes at their desk to ensure that they get full benefit of the lesson.

If you have an exercise period in the classroom where there is a lot of physical movement it may help a sight impaired student if you stand behind them and direct them through the movements. If there is a lot of fast movement a sight impaired child may not be able to follow the activity at all and will appear lost and unsure of what is going on. You may find that if you direct the student verbally and demonstrate with them what they are supposed to do they will be able to follow much easier.

During fire drill, always make sure that either you the teacher or a responsible monitor is assigned to the sight impaired student to ensure that they exit the school building safely. I can remember when I was in 3rd grade we had a fire drill and I was not assigned anyone to assist me. I was confused and did not exit fast like I was supposed to so the teacher had to come back for me as I was left in the classroom unsure of where everyone was going and what door they were exiting out of.

In closing I would like to add that making a classroom adaptable for the sight impaired child will ensure that that student has a successful school year and at the same time you as the teacher can also learn from that student just as they learn from you. Always remember that you as a teacher can make a difference to make the sight impaired student's experience at school positive, meaningful and productive.

I have developed several audio tapes from previous seminars I have given on the topic of mainstreaming and integrating sight impaired children. I am willing to sell these tapes for $10 U.S. each. If there is any school district that is interested in purchasing a tape, please contact me:

Email: melanson@teachers.net
Postal Address:

Dave Melanson
702 Riverview Ave
Verdun Quebec Canada H4H 2C1

You may contact Dave for more information by e-mail at melanson@teachers.net or by telephone: 514 7683264. Dave can also be found in the Teachers.Net chatroom many evenings during the week, logged on as Dave/Montreal.