Dear Middle School Teacher With A Visually Impaired Student

Dear middle school teacher with a visually impaired student,

I am a student in your class with a visual impairment, or vision loss that is not fully corrected by glasses, contacts, or surgery; I might identify as a blind student, a student with low vision, or something else. Ideally, you received a copy of my Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for visual impairment, or maybe I have a 504 plan for low vision or a Student Assistance Plan for vision impairment; there’s also a chance I might not have been approved for any disability services yet.

While you might have an idea of who I am or what I need based on my list of disability accommodations, I invite you to get to know me and help me succeed with my visual impairment, not despite it. Here are a few helpful tips and strategies for supporting visually impaired middle schoolers, from a student perspective.

Remember: Visual impairment is a spectrum, not a binary

Visual impairment is not a binary where someone either can see everything or nothing at all; many people may still have some light perception or may not be able to use the vision they do have effectively. Visual impairment can affect individuals in many different ways, and what is considered accessible by one person may not be accessible to another. Individuals are often the best experts on how visual impairment impacts them. What’s important is to know there is no “wrong way” to be visually impaired, and that visual impairment can be more than just decreased acuity.

With that in mind, it’s not always helpful to compare one individual’s vision loss to someone else’s, even if they have the same condition, level of acuity, or are close in age. Lived experience often shapes how students develop access skills, and it can be frustrating to be compared to someone else or asked why they aren’t more like them. While it can be reassuring to hear that a teacher has had other blind students or students with low vision in their classes, it’s important to be careful comparing students to each other.

Middle school accommodations for visual impairment might be different than before

When transitioning to middle school, my disability accommodations may have been changed or updated to reflect my new environment and visual demands. For example, middle school resources and materials often use smaller font sizes and less visuals, there might be more writing and note-taking involved, and I might have a different teacher for every subject. I also might have to navigate hallways more often (and learn to deal with crowds), or practice accessing more advanced math and science notation compared to before. I might also be meeting with staff members more often than before. Middle school can be more visually demanding than elementary school, and it might take me longer to adjust to this new setting.

If I don’t already have an IEP for visual impairment, this is something you should recommend as it can give me access to essential resources like a teacher of students with visual impairments (which may also be known as a TVI/TSVI/CTVI/TBVI), assistive technology assessments, accessible educational materials, and other targeted services that help visually impaired students thrive; these may not always be available with a 504 plan or student assistance plan. As a teacher, you can also make suggestions for other disability accommodations or provide feedback on how things are going in the classroom; I’d really appreciate it if you can share feedback for IEP meetings or attend meetings to talk about my progress when you can. If something isn’t working out, you might have access to additional resources for visually impaired students.

If you want to know something, ask me

As a visually impaired middle school student, I might be able to explain how my visual impairment affects me, and might share the name of my condition(s), but I might not know how to answer questions like if my vision is blurry or what makes something hard to see since I might not know what “normal” vision looks like. This can be true whether I have had vision loss since birth, a progressive condition that has changed over time, or if I am brand new to living with visual impairment.

Instead of asking me what I can’t see, ask me about what I can see. For example, maybe I find it easier to read a page with double line spacing or with a single-column layout. Maybe I find it easier to locate the red folders that stand out against the table, instead of the beige folders that go unnoticed because they match the tabletop. Another strategy you can use is to ask me about my favorite apps, games, books, hobbies, or other items you see me working with: do they have a certain font size, font style, color, visual layout, or other design element that can provide a clue about how I prefer to access information? I might also be able to talk about how I use assistive technology, or how I do things like take notes in class.

Online resources that share more about my condition can be helpful, but it’s important to thoughtfully consider my lived experiences too; this is especially true if I have more than one condition or multiple disabilities. I don’t know what the “best practices” are for teaching someone with my condition, and I might not do things the same way as an article or social media post says I should. This doesn’t mean I don’t have a visual impairment, I’m just learning!

Follow my lead on how I describe my visual impairment

Unless I tell you otherwise, I am fine with using words like disabled or disability; I actually might prefer it over terms like special needs or differently abled. You can also follow my lead on whether to use person-first language (e.g., student with visual impairment), or identity-first language (visually impaired student). Please avoid using terms that make disability sound miserable or like a punishment, such as “suffering from low vision.” Model positive language around my disability and disability in general.

I might use one or more of the following terms to describe my experience and identity living with vision loss not corrected by glasses: Blind, low vision, visually impaired, visual impairment, vision loss, vision impaired, vision impairment, legally blind, sight impaired, or I might mention my diagnosis or condition. Someone may refer to themselves as blind even if they still have some usable vision, which is common and accepted in visual impairment spaces.

I am learning strategies to manage visual fatigue

Middle school classes often require a lot of reading, including reading from assignments as well as reading from the board. If I access information visually using tools like large print, high contrast displays, screen magnification, or similar, chances are that I am going to need to take occasional breaks while reading or learn to manage visual fatigue, especially in classes that require me to read every symbol, letter, or number like math and science; if I didn’t get a chance to practice these skills in elementary school or other settings, I might be learning them in real-time during your class. I also might struggle more with visual fatigue if I have visual demanding classes back-to-back, or at the end of the school day; most students don’t get to take a break, choose what order their classes are in, or control things like lighting in their classrooms, so that’s where learning to manage visual fatigue is helpful.

As I learn to manage visual fatigue and the visual demands of school, I might experiment with a few helpful strategies like closing my eyes for short periods of time, using text-to-speech or a screen reader to listen to information, using a larger font size to avoid straining my eyes, changing the color of a page, reading braille, or adjusting the position of a page so it is easier to see. There might also be times where a strategy doesn’t work the way I expected, like if I accidentally fall asleep or if I decide I’ll just finish my assignment later and forget to turn it in. Just because I live with a visual impairment, it doesn’t mean that I know the “best practices” for how to access information automatically, and I may use a mix of visual and non-visual skills and access modalities.

If you are looking for ways to help me manage visual fatigue, a few strategies that my teachers have used include:

Share options for turning on text-to-speech or read aloud on devices or when using applications
Include audiobooks as an option for reading
Make sure that accessible assignments are available at the beginning of class (or at the same time as other students) so students don’t rush through work or spend time remediating materials instead of learning
Minimize glare from overhead lights, which can make it harder to see the board
Use high contrast markers and writing tools that are visible against the page/board
Provide a copy of class presentations with decorative pictures, animations, and background graphics removed
Instead of using a PDF, read from a responsive layout like an EPUB, Word document, or HTML that supports adjustable font sizes and other display customizations
Giving students advance notice for readings/books to track down accessible formats or read ahead at home

Unless my disability accommodations for visual impairment say otherwise, there’s no need to modify my reading assignments or change how much I need to read. I can complete the same assignments as everyone else as long as they are in an accessible format I can read.

If I can’t see it, I will probably ignore it

Did you call on me in class and I ignored you, or did I talk out of turn? I might not have noticed that you pointed at me without saying my name first, or I thought you had called on me.

When I took a math quiz, did I miss every single question that had a coordinate plane or exponents, even though I understood these concepts in class? I might not have been able to see the images, or the exponents may have been too small to enlarge clearly so I had no idea they were there. Or maybe the images didn’t have alt text or an image description, so my screen reader didn’t recognize them.

The papers are over there? Without knowing where over there is, I might not go retrieve them, or I will ask someone else to grab them for me. Or I will wait for more students to go over to the desk and follow them. This is even more likely to happen if the papers (or where they are stored) are the same/similar color as the wall, table, or floor.

Have I acted surprised when I found out we had homework? If you wrote it down silently without saying anything or wrote it in a different location than usual, I might not have had any idea it existed.

In these scenarios, I might have no idea what I am missing, or not know what I can’t see. This can be confusing if you notice that I do just fine with some tasks but not others, or if you notice I can see things that are theoretically more challenging to see like my cell phone (which likely has several accessibility settings enabled). There’s also a chance I might be nervous to admit that I can’t see something because I have no idea how you will react, or someone might have dismissed my access needs in the past.

If you notice I am having trouble seeing something, it’s more helpful to draw attention to the access barrier or thing that I am struggling with than it is to draw attention to my vision. For example, instead of asking me why I couldn’t see the coordinate plane, ask if it would be helpful to draw a brightly colored dot or add large print labels so it’s easier to find the information I need. Or instead of yelling at me for denying that we had homework, ask me if it would be helpful to have a dedicated homework section on the board or to verbally announce the homework assignment for the day.

Check out resources for making materials accessible

As a middle school teacher with a visually impaired student, you might be wondering what types of accessible materials are available to you, or how I will access assignments, readings, and other class activities. Chances are, I am working on learning how to use assistive technology, which includes items that enable me to access tasks and information independently with a disability. Some examples of resources that might be especially helpful for visually impaired middle schoolers include:

Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) providers, which can provide a variety of materials in accessible formats. This can include accessible textbooks, worksheets, readings, books, graphics, even sheet music!
Items purchased with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Federal Quota Funds, which can be used for assistive technology and accessible materials
Resources from visual impairment organizations, schools for the blind, and other educational groups
Accessible books from Bookshare, an accessible online library with over two million titles for students with visual impairments and other print disabilities
Apps and websites that support accessibility settings and display customizations for visual impairment
Tactile graphics and image libraries

If you are assigning textbooks or online adaptive learning systems, it’s important to check that they support the accessibility settings a student needs. You may need to manually enable accessibility settings for blind students or visually impaired students on your teacher dashboard, depending on the platform.

I often have to plan how to access things

Living with visual impairment often means that I have to think about how I will access things before I do them, or I have to plan how I will navigate accessibility barriers that others might not think of. For example, I might not be able to see or manipulate the combination lock for school lockers, so I may have to get a padlock and give copies of the key to the office, homeroom teacher, and school security, or I might have to request a lower-level or upper-level locker so I can access it more easily. Alternatively, I might have to figure out how to store items that don’t fit in my locker, or find ways to make my locker easier to identify visually. This requires a lot more planning compared to my classmates who just need to learn a locker combination.

In another example, I might have trouble navigating the loud, crowded school cafeteria. I might have trouble figuring out where to sit, how to navigate the lunch line, or rely on a friend to help me with everything. This doesn’t mean that I should be excluded from the cafeteria or that I will need to avoid it, but it’s just another example of how I often have to account for a lot of other information.

Being aware of this invisible labor might help you understand why I might be hesitant to try something new or unfamiliar, or why I may seem to move more slowly or seem anxious in certain environments. Let me know that you are available to help me if I need it, and provide specific, actionable suggestions such as:

Allowing a group of students to eat lunch in a classroom instead of the cafeteria (not just one student by themselves)
Helping a student find a student/group of students in a crowded area, and having the student approach them on their own
Mentioning other students with common interests that the student could be friends with, or pointing out a student that shares multiple classes with them
Walking with a student to another class, or allowing them to leave a few minutes early/arrive late to avoid high-traffic hallways. While many students with visual impairments can navigate school hallways, those with emerging orientation and mobility skills (O&M skills) may want to ask for help. Some students may be resistant to walking with a teacher and appearing “different” (especially if they are a special education teacher)

Please avoid grabbing my arm, pushing me to walk in a certain direction, or otherwise touching me without consent unless I am in immediate danger (e.g., slipping in a puddle, walking into a fight, hitting a low-hanging branch). When someone grabs me or tries to force me to walk with them, it implies that I am incapable of doing things on my own (which is not the case!)

I might want to avoid standing out

Even though I might have access to a video magnifier, I might prefer to use my cell phone to enlarge text because it’s a mainstream device that everyone in my class has; it doesn’t stand out as being a low vision aid. I might also resist using other types of assistive technology or express discomfort with getting accessible materials because I don’t want to “stand out” as being a legally blind student or the only visually impaired student in the class; while being visually impaired is not a bad thing, I might still feel anxious about it. I might even avoid using my accessible locker and insist on carrying a tote bag with materials to all my classes.

Sometimes, you might notice that I put myself through a lot of complicated workflows, eye-straining situations, or mask my visual impairment because I don’t want anyone to treat me differently. You might be confused why this is happening, and notice that I seem to be struggling a lot more even though I theoretically have access to accommodations and the skills I need to access things.

Even if I access the general curriculum and spend most of my day in mainstream classrooms, I might have a modified schedule that is different from my classmates. For example, I might be exempt from taking gym classes (or I might take adapted PE) which means I have double electives. Or I might have a specific time where I meet with staff members like vision teachers, assistive technology specialists, orientation and mobility instructors (COMS), or receive other services related to the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). I might not bring this up with other students, and might feel embarrassed if you notice that I have a different schedule.

If you notice that I am not using my assistive technology or that I seem to be struggling a lot, please tell me as well as someone on my support team or whoever is in charge of my disability accommodations, or bring it up with my vision teacher if you see them. Alternatively, if you notice that something doesn’t seem to be working well for me (such as an accessible calculator or the distance magnifier), mention that as well. Don’t bring this up in front of the whole class though, as that will draw even more attention.

Encourage self-advocacy skills and presume competence

Many IEPs for visual impairment include transition goals and goals related to the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) that support self-advocacy and self-determination. I might have had these since elementary school, or they might be new to me. Some examples of ways you can support my development of self-advocacy skills and self-determination include:

Asking me for my opinions on how I get information in the classroom. Is it easier to read the board with a certain marker color? Is the font size for my assignment okay, or does it need to be larger? Over time, I will become more comfortable with bringing up issues on my own, but it can be helpful to be prompted at first.
Show me how to enable accessibility settings for an app or website we are using in class, so I can make things accessible on my own or call out accessibility barriers/explain why things aren’t working appropriately.
Encourage me to do things on my own, and model that it is okay to turn down assistance or unneeded help.
Model how to ask for help and how I can describe what I need help with. For example, if I say “I can’t see this,” you can ask me to describe what would make it easier to access this information and share examples of strategies I can try.

Instead of assuming that my visual impairment will prevent me from learning, presume competence and have high expectations for me. Make sure that I have access to the tools and skills I need to do things on my own, instead of constantly asking for help.

Normalize using assistive technology in the classroom

One of the most helpful ways you can show allyship to a visually impaired student is to normalize the use of disability accommodations and assistive technology when possible, as well as honoring student access needs and preferences. Don’t take away my assistive technology as punishment or prevent me from using tools like my white cane (blindness cane).

If the entire class is doing a worksheet, give me an accessible copy that I can work on at the same time. If you are showing an article on the projector, turn on a simplified reading display or text-only view and remove the visual clutter for everyone so it is easier to see, or give me the link so I can pull it up on my own device and read on my own. Verbally describe what you are writing on the board, the changes in a science experiment, what you are holding in your hands, or what you want us to notice about a visual activity. These small shifts can make a huge impact on inclusion. Avoid centering sight as the sole way of learning or accessing information, and embrace opportunities for improving low-visual and non-visual access in the classroom setting.

More strategies for a middle school teacher with a visually impaired student

Part 1 of this post series covers tips for an elementary school teacher with a visually impaired student. There is some overlap between posts, but many of the tips also apply to teaching middle school and cover topics like vision fluctuations. Read it at Dear Elementary School Teacher With A Visually Impaired Student
Part 3 of this post series covers tips for a high school teacher with a visually impaired student. Again, there is some overlap between posts, but also several useful resources for transition. Read it at Dear High School Teacher With A Visually Impaired Student
Looking for more ideas on how to help your visually impaired student thrive in the middle school classroom? Check out Middle School posts on Veroniiiica
One class that really helped me socially in middle school was band; I am still friends with students I met in band as an adult! Learn more about band accommodations in Concert Band and Low Vision Accommodations
I will always associate middle school with getting my first eReader, which changed my life. Learn more about how I use my eReader and other devices in Building A College Technology Toolbox For Low Vision

Published August 2, 2017. Updated August 2026

Reference

Lewis, Veronica. (2017). Dear Middle School Teacher With A Visually Impaired Student. Veroniiiica. https://veroniiiica.com/dear-middle-school-teacher/ (Accessed on August 18, 2026)

Dear Middle School Teacher With A Visually Impaired Student

Remember: Visual impairment is a spectrum, not a binary

Related links

Middle school accommodations for visual impairment might be different than before

Related links

If you want to know something, ask me

Follow my lead on how I describe my visual impairment

Related links

I am learning strategies to manage visual fatigue

Related links

If I can’t see it, I will probably ignore it

Related links

Check out resources for making materials accessible

Related links

I often have to plan how to access things

Related links

I might want to avoid standing out

Related links

Encourage self-advocacy skills and presume competence

Related links

Normalize using assistive technology in the classroom

Related links

More strategies for a middle school teacher with a visually impaired student

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