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Hello! My name is Katherine and I am a grad student at Stephen F. Austin State University. I know that several schools have returned to face-to-face learning. However, there are a few schools that are still providing distance learning.

My question is: How can I accommodate visually-impaired students during distance learning?

Distance learning is not the same as face-to-face instruction, so I would like to know of good ways to accommodate visually-impaired students in the virtual learning environment.

Hello Katherine, 

I agree that creating accommodations for students who are visually impaired in person versus in a virtual learning environment is very different. These accommodations can also be very similar as well. A lot of times accommodations that are created in-person for those with visual impairments actually use technology to help. While learning visually on an electronic device, students can change the way the words or visuals are presented to fit their needs. Students are able to zoom in, change the color of text or the background, or even change the font to help them better see what is in front of them. Some visuals can even be read aloud to the student to help them hear what they may be struggling to read. When teaching in a virtual environment, accommodations can be made by making sure these features are available to the student. 

Another great idea to help a student who is visually impaired with a virtual environment is to provide a lot of instruction that is verbal as well as visual. The student may struggle with the visual aspect but can still use the verbal instructions and descriptions to help compliment what they are seeing and improve their overall understanding. 

Using these accommodations can help students who are visually impaired better see and learn in a virtual environment. I am sure there are great apps out there as well that can help with making these technological accommodations. Do you know of any that might help? 

I hope this helps you with your future students, 

Chloe Zierke