It would be great if there was a general best practice on digital literacy. Especially when teams ask what would be best for a new student. As you mentioned, I do think it is going to be best to have the TVI help the student find the right fit for them. The next step is getting the student to actually use the suggestion.
I agree that having some guidelines in place could benefit the student body more. Our VI students would still need specific accommodations to meet their needs but that may be easier to accomplish if materials were originally produced in a similar format. For example, limiting visual clutter on worksheets, a standard/range for margins, high-quality copies (think a copy of a copy of a copy), or requiring the use of certain colors to avoid yellow on white. It could extend to slide presentations. Limiting visual clutter/distractions, using larger fonts, limiting the number of words per slide, or requiring high contrast colors to be used. We don’t want to take away creative liberties but we also want to consider what can benefit all students.
I wholeheartedly agree. School districts could benefit from implementing UDL. Having options available for all learners means that the learners who need it will have it and the ones who do not can move on.
You make a great point. We often think about the school building as having one function but they are used for so much more. Having support in place for the community as well is a great example of the extension inclusive design practices would have beyond the classroom.
What steps could you take to collaborate with colleagues, administrators, and support staff to promote awareness and implementation of best practices for font legibility to support students with low vision in the classroom? Should local school districts adopt inclusive design principles for printed materials? Why or why not?
I would start absolutely with presenting the staff with an opportunity to sit in on the FVE. WHY? Because it is far more impacting than me simply talking or having them read a report. I have had many staff cringe, or try to NOT attend a low vision demonstration or the actual evaluation. Once they sit in however, 9/10 times they comment on “that was so much more beneficial to see how “steven turned his head and squinted, when trying to read the board.” It offers such a great learning experience, if their schedule allows for it.
Speaking to the staff, as a whole (including the curriculum directors, instructors for specials, is ideal as well so that they can have a more detailed understanding of what occurs with font types, spacing, and the way our students struggle. For example, in kindergarten and first grade, print is already at a larger level. Once they move it,the size decreases. Coupled with the impact of different font styles, a shared understanding of these things, (it would also be ideal to have them look through simulator glasses, to feel the impact of trying to decipher text that is not bold, or simple in format) would be most important. Knowledge is power.
I always feel bad when I hae to share with a teacher that their use of 5 different color markers (light green, yellow) does not equate to ease of access for not only our students, but many same aged peers with good sight. I never want to shoot down creativity, but turly, there are classrooms where most of the kids cannot see the writing during group instruction. I would work on educating all of them, each year, over and over again. I would do this until there is change. That has been one of the hardest things to manage. If UDL were implemented, and used as a standard across all districts, everyday, there would be not only significant change for our students, but for all student. I have had students in higher math, struggle in 11th grade, and never before ever had an issue. It is hard to watch a student struggle due to an access issue that could be readily changed, with relative ease, verses, watching them unable to access the writing during their junior year.
Whenever possible, getting a student on an electronic device can be a game changer, because selected text can be changed, even within a PDF on most occasions. Using the keyboard on a device or tablet, can assist significantly. However, r there are times when digital text cannot be utilized, and the student is still struggling.
I have actually had students who, when I came to check in, and work with them, were left to enlarge their own work (4th grade student) everyday on the school copier. Although all the books and supplemental materials had already been produced in large print, the teacher would ask the student daily to go to the office and run a large print copy for himself. Honestly, I had thought I had seen everything. You can imagine how quickly that stopped, once I became aware of that. Our students must advocate for themselves, but we must remember, they are young and need our guidance. Early advocacy skills, in a respectful manner where the student can ask for what they need, and know when they require our assistance to intervene, is important.
I agree that there is a need for more on digital literacy in terms of a standard of practice. It would be so helpful to know, like assessments, there is a sense of a standard that is used across the board. Of course, tweeking things to make it individualized for each student would be necessary, but a standart place to start, knowing that it has been accepted across the board would be ideal. I liked reading your posts.
As you stated, data is so important, especially when we need to address so many areas. When collaborating, the data collected by the TVOI should not, as you say bein isolation, because skills we work on are intregal to the scaffolding of all the other skills in the classroom. Collaboration is not only s[=peaking to other staff, but educating, and integrating our practices into the practices of, and with others.