Plan / Do
- Teachers will plan and develop support through an Individual Support Plan together with other professionals involved in supporting the young person, including advice from Qualified Teacher of young people with Visual Impairment (QTVI)
- The young person should remain part of the mainstream class for all activities except for exceptional circumstances or when direct teaching is required to develop vision specific skills e.g. use of a low vision aid / touch typing
- Teachers are responsible for the progress and support of the young person and may need to adjust timetable to allow for habilitation sessions as directed by the Qualified Teacher for Children and Young People with Visual Impairment (QTVI) (mobility / touch typing / life skills)
- Key staff need to have a more detailed understanding of the visual loss and its impact on the young person as an individual. Additional CPD and support may be requested from the Vision Support Service
- School based training for whole staff, groups of staff or individual staff may be requested from the Vision Support Service.
- The QTVI will be involved to advise schools on classroom audits and Quality First Teaching for young people with visual impairment
The teacher considers the following in the planning and delivering of the lessons:
- The emotional well-being of the young person is at the forefront of all curriculum planning and delivery
- Prepare enlarged reading materials (to point 18 or above)
- Use of ICT such iPad connected to whiteboard; reading apps
- Adaptation of equipment and resources
- Repeated demonstrations as required
- Supervise safe use of tools and safe practice in practical lessons
- Encourage and supervise the use of specialist equipment
- Provide alternative writing implements such as black felt tip pen, 4B pencil
- Daily checks that prescription glasses are being worn when necessary and kept clean (not all visually impaired young people may need to wear glasses)
- Large print learning materials in the young person’s specific print size, font style, line spacing and colour of paper
- Provision of additional time for the completion of work (it takes longer for a young person with visual impairment to complete work than for fully sighted peers)
- Using appropriate specialist equipment such as sloping reading/writing boards, book stands, magnifiers
- Specific teaching of ICT skills should be included as part of learning
- TAs can support pre-tutoring through preparing pupils for lessons for example explaining concepts that rely on vision/colour vision for understanding
- It is important that, when alerting pupils to an action, artefact, illustration or example, describe what you want the pupils to take notice of and, if necessary, describe what it is but do not point
- Extra support may be needed for specific skills: maths; handwriting; laying out work
- Consideration for exam access arrangements in line with JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications www.jcq.org.uk) regulations. For example additional time / modified examination papers)
- The following organisations produce large print books; fiction, non-fiction, revision guides etc:
- The RNIB National Library - free service
- RNIB bookshare is a free service for enlarged copies of e books
- Support during unstructured times e.g. break times should be provided where needed or where activities are specifically related to vision
- Risk assessments are needed for practical activities and off site visits should be undertaken
- Additional arrangements for movements within school and/or between home and school, for example, hand to hand transfer, daily meet and greet with an identified member of staff
- Extra planning and support for changes of school (‘transitions’) such as primary to secondary school or secondary to college)