- Using the resource, Classroom Adaptations for Students with Low Vision, review content under the header “Strategies and recommendations for addressing low vision” beginning at the bottom of page 5 through page 8.
- Collaboration and Carryover:
The reading highlights the importance of consistency across home and school environments. Choose one recommendation from the section and discuss how you could engage family members or classroom staff to reinforce that strategy beyond direct TVI sessions. What communication or training method would make that collaboration successful?
The recommendation I chose from the article was from Topic 2: Specific recommendations for students with central field loss. Specifically, how to ensure the student is maintaining eye contact when interacting with another individual. I feel this adjustment is easy to keep consistency across the board with the general classroom and at home. Maintaining eye contact when discussing with another person is something that can be addressed by a little bit of feedback in the moment and the behavior becomes more consistent as it is reinforced repeatedly.
To communicate this I would send an initial communication out via email to the classroom teachers as well as the students parents. Within that email would be the student expectation that we are working on, why we are working on this, and some tips and tricks for providing appropriate and consistent feedback to the student if it is noted they aren’t making eye contact. I would explain some of the activities we have been working on and possible cues that are being implemented to help teach the student. Keeping things uniform is very helpful with a student that has low vision as it won’t confuse them about the expectations of the task/behavior. To conclude the email, I would express that there is an open line of communication if they were to have any questions, need any assistance, or had progress to share regarding the student. If either area were to find themselves having trouble with this, we could schedule a meeting to go over it all in person as this tends to help people more than reading an explanation in an email.
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Encouraging use in real world and having family encourage the use of the monocular at a store (Target or Wal-Mart).
Before entering the toy aisle, pause briefly with the student and talk about what they will be doing.
- Explain that toy aisles are wide and colorful, which makes them a great place to practice looking far away.
- Let the student know it is okay to take their time and that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to look.
Example prompt:
“We’re going to use your monocular to look at toys that are far away, just like reading a sign at school.”
Using the Monocular to Scan the Aisle
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Ask the student to stand in one spot at the end or middle of the aisle.
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Encourage them to look down the aisle with their eyes first.
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When they identify something, they want to look at, prompt monocular use:
Example: “Can you use your monocular to see what toys are on the top shelf?”
Identifying Toy Features from a Distance
Once the student locates a toy, encourage them to describe what they see.
Ask questions such as:**
-** “What color is the toy?”
Turning It into a Game
Making the activity playful reduces hesitation and increases motivation.
Ideas include:**
I Spy:
-** “I spy a toy with bright yellow on it. Can you find it with your monocular?”
Before leaving the aisle:
Acknowledge effort and success:
“You did a great job using your monocular to look all the way down the aisle.”
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