As a student with low vision that primarily accesses information visually and uses color as a labeling tool, I enjoy creating art, working on design projects, and participating in art classes with low vision. Creating art and working on fine motor skills was something one of my occupational therapists prioritized, and over the years I have found more ways to make the artistic process more accessible for students with visual impairments so that they can focus on creating, not on straining their eyes. Here is a list of tips and strategies for including students with low vision in art classes and art projects that can be applied to multiple mediums.
Incorporating high contrast and low vision access in the art classroom
Out of all of my teachers in elementary school, my art teacher had the greatest understanding of the impact that high contrast elements can have on visual accessibility, especially for students like me with low vision or other visual impairments. Some examples of strategies for increasing contrast for art workspaces to make them more accessible for low vision include:
- Make sure that the table and the canvas/paper do not match— an off-white page on an off-white table can make it easy to draw beyond the page. Use a drop cloth or colored tabletop that does not blend into paper.
- Another option for increasing contrast for art classes is to use old newspaper, though this may be too visually complex for students with CVI or that have neurological visual impairment.
- For kid art projects, consider using a purple glue stick instead of white glue, as this can be easier to see and apply evenly compared to clear or white glue.
- When creating digital art with students that have photosensitivity or photophobia, consider using dark mode or invert colors to increase contrast.
- Ensure that furniture items such as drying racks do not blend into the colors of the wall, as this can make them more challenging to locate.
- Consider alternatives to gray pencil on a white page when demonstrating art concepts or outlines, as these may be challenging or impossible to see.
I have a contrast deficiency that makes it impossible for me to see gray pencil or charcoal on a white background as well as subtle monochrome patterns. Using tools like invert colors on a video magnifier or viewing an image in a digital format on my iPad can help with the pencil/charcoal, but I generally can’t see subtle monochrome patterns no matter what I do.
Related links
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- Paper Colors And Low Vision
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Choosing Between Light Mode and Dark Mode For Low Vision
- How I Decorate A Bedroom For CVI
- How To Make Virtual Museums Accessible For Visual Impairments
Choosing the best colors for low vision art projects
The “best” colors for low vision art projects are ones that the student can see! Visual impairment is a spectrum, and while some students may have color deficiencies or colorblindness, others may not have any preferences for colors or have colors that they really love. I prefer to choose bold, saturated colors that pop against the canvas, and try to incorporate every color of the rainbow whenever I can. I generally avoid working with pastels because they are lower contrast against a white background, though my art teachers never restricted me from using specific colors.
Related links
- Creating Flower Arrangements With Low Vision
- Tips For Creating Art For Visually Impaired Friends
- How I Decorate A Bedroom For CVI
- How I Decorate My Dorm Room With Low Vision
- How To Write Alt Text For Amateur Art
- How To Write Alt Text For Color Palettes
Organizing art supplies with low vision
When I was participating in summer camps (and later volunteering at summer camps), I often would struggle with locating or using art supplies because they were often in cluttered environments or unfamiliar locations. At one of the summer camps I volunteered at that had several preschool-aged students with disabilities, I started experimenting with adaptive art supplies and finding better ways to organize materials, something I continued exploring well into college. Some ideas for organizing or providing art supplies for low vision artists include:
- Dispensing paint with hand pump dispensers/old soap bottles.
- Using a glue sponge to add glue to paper, instead of squeezing it from the bottle.
- Color-coded bins for supply colors, e.g. red markers in red bin.
- Placing items away from the edge of the table, or outlining a workspace with painter’s tape to keep items in one location.
- Dotted markers or paint pens
- Using a dry erase board as scratch paper instead of erasing pencil when creating a rough draft. Finished art can be scanned in with an app like Microsoft Lens.
- Using an egg carton or drink holder to hold paint supplies in one place.
- Make a flag out of clear tape and place it on the end of pencils, crayons, or brushes to prevent them from rolling off the table.
- Another strategy that helped with storing glue or items with screw-on lids was to draw a “face” on the lid and edge of the bottle— the lid had eyes and the edge of the bottle had a smile. To make sure the bottle was closed all the way shut, the eyes had to align with the smile on the bottle!
Looking for more ideas for accessible art classrooms? Check out my Pinterest board “Arts and Crafts for Low Vision” linked below that includes versions of all of these ideas in action— my username is @veron4ica.
Related links
- Arts and Crafts for Low Vision | @veron4ica on Pinterest
- How I Use Pinterest For Studying In College
- Creating Accessible Crafting Tutorials For Visual Impairment
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
Accommodating for dexterity issues in the art classroom
Many students with low vision experience motor skill deficits, dysgraphia, or other dexterity issues that can impact how they work with art tools. In my case, I often would compensate for my double vision by working outside of the lines or outside of the page because I had trouble identifying which image was “real” and which one was “double.” Strategies for accommodating dexterity issues in the art classroom can include:
- Placing painter’s tape as a guide when painting pottery or working on canvases, since this could be removed later. This was a game changer for painting!
- Wrapping a hair curler around a brush or marker to make it easier to grasp.
- Adding grips for colored pencils, markers, crayons, or styluses to help with hand positioning or locating items.
- Using an angled table, stand, or drafting table to adjust the viewing angle of art, or using a vertical surface like a wall or easel.
- Using adaptive scissors with a loop or modified grip.
I find it easier to draw or work on projects with a stylus or touch screen because I can easily press the undo button or use tools like digital rulers without having to press down on anything.
Related links
- Painting Pottery With Low Vision
- Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
- Upcycling Music Stands into Assistive Technology
- How I Use The Apple Pencil With Low Vision
- Apple Pencil Customizations For Writing With Low Vision
Adjusting lighting for low vision and reducing glare
Lighting is a major component of accessible art spaces for low vision, whether it involves adding task lighting to a table, adjusting overhead lighting, or reducing glare on table surfaces or on the floor to make it easier to see. Super reflective, glossy, or shiny surfaces would often be challenging for me to look at for more than a few seconds due to photophobia and glare from overhead lights, so I would often prefer matte surfaces and materials, opting for off-white or lightly tinted backgrounds when working on projects.
Related links
- Lighting And Low Vision
- Reduce Glare In The Classroom For Low Vision Students
- Environmental Accommodations For Low Vision Students
- Ten Ways To Reduce Eye Strain From Screens With Technology
Choosing art projects for low vision
Most of the fun in art is in the process of creating something, and I encourage art teachers to allow students with visual impairments to work on the same art projects that their friends or classmates are creating. That said, when I think back to my favorite art projects that I worked on as a student with low vision, here are some styles and project ideas that come to mind:
- Folk art inspired projects, which incorporate simple shapes and high contrast colors.
- Anything with puffy paint, foam paint, or tactile markers.
- Projects that use a lot of bright, vibrant colors and incorporate high contrast elements.
- Anything that involved arranging colors in rainbow order or using every color of the rainbow.
- Abstract projects that did not require strict precision or following a template.
Wondering what some of my least favorite art projects were as a student with low vision? I still remember these many years later:
- Draw a picture of someone else in the class that is sitting several feet away. I remember my friend wondering why my art looked nothing like them!
- Copy art from a famous artist as closely as possible. This was not for an art class, and it was challenging for me to mimic the appearance of the original piece.
- Create zentagles by hand, drawing intricate, small details on each part of the page. I found this much easier on a digital display or on larger shapes.
- Sketch the view from outside of the classroom window. I think I just drew the hedge that was two feet away, but I did much better on this project the next time— the teacher took a photo outside of the window and gave it to me so I could zoom in.
Other favorite art projects that I have done on my own include digital collages/digital scrapbooking, creating posters inspired by my favorite music and song lyrics, and making friendship bracelets with friends.
Related links
- Making Friendship Bracelets With Low Vision
- How Amazon Alexa Can Help You With Art
- How To Create Tactile Images With Everyday Objects
- Using PicsArt To Simulate Low Vision
- Two of Everything: Living With Double Vision
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
More ideas for inclusive art classes and low vision
- An artist does not need to have perfect vision to create amazing masterpieces— in fact, many well-known artists had low vision or other forms of visual impairment! Learn more at Ten Ways Visual Impairment Influenced Classic Artists
- My personal favorite art materials are markers and pens— learn more at Writing Aids For Low Vision: My Personal Superlatives
- Want to learn more about tactile art? Read Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day 2024
- Interested in exploring visual art? Read Tips For Visiting Art Museums With Low Vision
Published August 9, 2017. Updated July 2025