Literacy Related Activities and difficulties with Vision
Remember, disability is a highly individualised experience. People with the same disability may have very different capabilities and/or needs, so it is always best to discuss any adaptations to practice, the environment or equipment directly with the disabled person themselves rather than making assumptions about what adjustments may be suitable.
When engaged in speaking and listening activities, blind people cannot access the visual cues that often help us to determine ‘tone’ and meaning.
People who are blind or have a significant visual impairment will not be able to access the written word, and many may well use other forms of textual communication such as Braille. However, do not assume that all blind people use Braille; some prefer to receive written information in an electronic format that can then be ‘read’ out loud by their software on their PC. Some will use touch typing on a PC to write, others may have a Braille keyboard, others may require the services of a note taker and/or scribe.
Students with a range of impairments, including those with a visual impairment, may want to record information by taping or Brailling. It is good practice to provide students with a visual impairment with a disk or hard copy of taught material, or copies of overheads. Students who are reliant on taping taught sessions as a way of receiving information will need a translation of visual material into an alternative format, for example, in an auditory form (that is, ‘read’ from their PC). Teachers will need to give some thought to the best way of conveying information and the preferred format of the individual concerned.
Taping information is not always an unqualified success unless the student develops a system for retrieving information from the tapes, perhaps by tone indexing the tapes, and keeping a record of the main ideas of the notes. Taking home tapes of the taught sessions for transcribing at a later stage can be very time-consuming, they will need to exercise discretion about what they should ‘write up’ and may need specific guidance from the teacher.
