Up until I was a teenager, I assumed that things like wearing sunglasses/tinted glasses indoors, being unable to read print, and using a white cane were things for people who were totally blind or that had no usable vision, and that no one would use these things unless they couldn’t see anything at all. What stands out about this assumption is that I had been diagnosed with low vision (vision loss that could not be corrected by glasses) when I was very young, and I had no idea that I could benefit from many tools that I had associated with blindness or the blind people I learned about at school or in the media. Part of this is because I was the only student with a visual impairment at my school and I didn’t have access to a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI/TSVI/TBVI) or an assistive technology specialist until high school. I also didn’t meet another person with a visual impairment until I was in college, and I don’t think most of my teachers knew anyone who was visually impaired either, so this only fueled my misconceptions about visual impairment, low vision, and how people use assistive technology.
To help break this cycle, I have curated a list of resources, ideas, and websites for how to teach kids about low vision and assistive technology, highlighting topics and areas that connect to how blind/low vision students navigate school, learn new things, and live independent lives within their community, along with resources from organizations that share helpful information about visual impairment. These aren’t complete lesson plans on disability topics or the only way to learn about a particular topic, but a way to start conversations and inspire continued learning and exploration.
Assistive technology
Assistive technology is defined by the Tech Act as “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” A simpler way to define assistive technology might be “any tool, device, or software that helps people with disabilities do things they might otherwise find hard or impossible.” Assistive technology can include items that are specifically designed for people with disabilities, as well as items that are made for everyone and also make things accessible for people with disabilities; one example is a drinking straw, which can be used by anyone but can also enable someone with a disability that has trouble drinking from an open cup to drink independently.
Even though it includes the word “technology”, assistive technology is more than high-tech devices like computers or tablets. Assistive technology also includes simple items that don’t require electricity, like high-contrast markers or magnifying glasses. Other examples of assistive technology for low vision can include:
- Large print labels or stickers
- Text-to-speech software that reads text out loud
- Screen readers for using a computer, tablet, or phone without looking at the screen
- High contrast or vibrantly colored items
- Talking items with audio output
- Tools for zooming in on text or other objects (screen magnification, video magnifiers, etc.)
- Braille or items with tactile labels
It is important to avoid touching or messing with someone else’s assistive technology, as this could prevent them from being able to perform tasks or access information independently.
Activity ideas for learning about assistive technology
- Is this AT? Hold up an item and explain how it could be used as assistive technology by someone with a disability, or explain why it isn’t assistive technology. This could also be designed as a scavenger hunt activity where kids can locate items that could be used as assistive technology.
- AT and Me. Invite someone who uses assistive technology to introduce their device, and how it helps support their access needs. For example, I could share my video magnifier and demonstrate how it can zoom in on too-small items so I can see them. Another alternative is to watch videos where users demonstrate their devices.
- Ready, SETT, go! Provide a prompt that introduces a student with a disability, their environment (e.g. classroom), and the task(s) they need or want to do. Have students identify potential tools or examples of ways to make this task accessible for the student. Some of the tools might be things that actually exist, some might not, but the point is to get students thinking about accessibility and inclusion.
- Where it’s AT. Incorporate an assistive technology device or item into a classroom activity and explain what makes it AT. For example, use a ball with auditory feedback or large print dice for a classroom game, offer the option to read an audiobook version of a book, or make a class activity/section of the classroom easier to see by adding large print, reducing visual clutter, or using technology to make it easier to read.
Websites to explore
- Assistive Technology | PBS LearningMedia
- Lesson plan: Inventing assistive devices that give people their independence | PBS News Hour Classroom
- prosthetics videos | The Kid Should See This (this tag isn’t specific to low vision, but several videos on this site include assistive technology topics)
- Assistive Technology for Children with Disabilities | UNICEF
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- Five Myths About Assistive Technology
- Assistive Technology Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
Large print
Large print refers to text on a page or on a screen that is considerably larger than usual standard print, which enables people with low vision to read information independently. Large print is not a single font size, though many organizations for visual impairment consider large print to be 18-pt font or larger; for reference, standard print is typically defined as a font size around 10-pt or 12-pt. Large print text might be printed on large paper sizes, or it might be used to make devices like computers, eReaders, tablets, or phones easier to read.
Someone who has low vision might find it difficult or impossible to read standard print or too-small text, or they may have to strain their eyes to identify letters, which can make reading painful. Using large print makes it easier for people to focus on what they are reading, instead of wondering if they are reading something correctly or hurting their eyes. Some examples of how people might use large print include:
- Receiving large print assignments for school, which enables students to read more independently.
- Reading large print books, or reading books on a tablet or eReader that supports adjustable font sizes.
- Increasing the font size of a document or webpage.
- Enabling large text sizes in the accessibility settings menu of a phone, tablet, or similar device.
Note: these activities and resources are great for classrooms that have a student who uses large print, as this can help reduce stigma or questions about why someone receives large print. That said, not all students with low vision use or benefit from large print, especially if they have difficulties with visual scanning. For the purposes of this activity, I recommend using either the same large print font size that is used by a student in the classroom, or a font size between 16-pt and 32-pt font.
Activity ideas for learning about large print
- Comparing font sizes. Print text content, equations, or similar content in a very small font size and a larger font size. Emphasize that large font sizes make it easier to read content accurately without straining eyes or taking longer to read.
- Check out a large print book. Compare the similarities and differences between a large print book and a standard print book. Note that large print books are (typically) unabridged and contain the exact same content as the standard print book, just presented in a different way. Some differences might include the line spacing, number of words on a page, white spacing, page color, or other details.
- Make text bigger! Learn how to enlarge the font sizes on technologies and applications that students use, such as Word/Docs, eReading applications, notetaking tools, etc. After using the large print for a class period (or for a few days), ask students to share their experiences.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- How I Take Math Tests With Double Vision
- Tips For Reading Music On An iPad With Low Vision
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials From My Low Vision IEP
- Ten Lessons My TVI Taught Me
Screen readers and text-to-speech (not the same thing!)
A screen reader enables users to access text, images, and user interfaces without looking at the screen. Screen reader software reads information out loud using synthesized speech so users know what is on the screen, so users can navigate their device using a keyboard or gestures instead of using a computer mouse. Blind users can’t use a mouse (but can use touchscreens), though someone who has low vision or some usable vision might use a mouse and a screen reader at the same time. Screen readers are typically “always on,” and it is reasonable to assume that someone wouldn’t be able to use their device if their screen reader was turned off or not working. Examples of popular screen reader software include VoiceOver, JAWS, NVDA, ChromeVox, Narrator, TalkBack, and Orca.
Text-to-speech enables users to access text and images by reading information out loud when prompted by the user. Text-to-speech can be activated as needed using a shortcut, hotkey, or gesture. Once text-to-speech finishes reading all of the text/visible content on a page, it shuts off until the user activates it again; the user might not need to read everything on the screen or may only need help reading text. Text-to-speech does not use any specific gestures or require the user to change how they interact with their device. Text-to-speech may also be used by people with other disabilities like dyslexia or ADHD for making it easier to follow along with text.
Activity ideas for learning about screen readers and text-to-speech
- Turn on text-to-speech for a reading activity. Many applications, web browsers, and operating systems offer built-in text-to-speech, which may also be labeled as speak, speak text, read aloud, listen, TTS, select-to-speak, or similar. Alternatively, introduce students to a text-to-speech application that they can use at school or home if a district-wide/school-wide subscription is available. Immersive Reader is a free tool that offers text-to-speech and can also display text with large print.
- Learn about keyboard shortcuts. Introduce concepts of keyboard access by having students practice using keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys on their computers. Many applications also publish a list of supported keyboard shortcuts that can be enabled with or without a screen reader.
- Listen to a screen reader. Use a screen reader to explore the school website, an application/website that is familiar to students, or a document; alternatively, use the Screen Reader Training website linked below. Observe how information is read out loud and note barriers like unlabeled buttons, inaccessible images, or other elements that make it challenging to access the content. I recommend practicing with a few keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys prior to the activity (tab, enter, arrow keys are especially critical). For an even bigger challenge, hide the screen from the audience!
Websites to explore
- SRT – The Screen Reader Training Website
- NVDA Screen Reader Series | Hadley
- The ABCs of IOS Manual | CNIB
- What is text-to-speech technology (TTS)?
Related links
- Make Online Learning Accessible For VI Students: Quick Start Guide
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
Magnification
More than just handheld magnifying glasses, optical aids and magnification can help make objects larger and easier to see for people with low vision. Magnifiers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and magnification powers, and some tools like video magnifiers (sometimes called CCTVs) and screen magnification programs offer adjustable magnification powers so users can adjust the magnification power even further. They can be useful for identifying objects, reading text, looking at images, or making it easier to identify details up close.
Some of the different types of magnifying glasses and magnification aids for low vision include:
- Video magnifiers (desktop video magnifiers, portable video magnifiers, magnification apps)
- Pocket magnifier
- Wearable pendant magnifying glass
- Handheld magnifying glass
- Bar magnifier
- Page magnifier or sheet magnifier
- Flexible magnifying sheet
- Dome magnifier
- Stand magnifier
- Wearable magnifying glasses
- Screen magnification software, which offers full screen view, docked view, and lens view.
Activity ideas for learning about magnification and optical aids (a type of assistive technology for low vision)
- Explore visual details. Use a magnifier to explore the visual details of an object like rocks, paintings, stamps, or other small objects. Alternatively, use a document camera as a makeshift video magnifier to enlarge details, or enable students to compare the use of a magnifying glass vs document camera with adjustable magnification.
- Learn how to use magnification. Demonstrate how to enlarge content using tools like browser zoom as well as how to enable screen magnification if needed. Practice learning how to use a magnifying glass effectively, including how to position the magnifying glass over a page/object.
- Enable screen magnification. Open a screen magnification application (Windows Magnifier, MacOS/iOS Zoom, etc.) and use it to enlarge a PDF, image, or other fixed layout page. Use the Invert filter to improve the contrast of the page or make certain colors easier to see. Another option is to use a magnifier app that connects to a device camera (e.g. iOS Magnifier)
Websites to explore
- Magnifier Activity for Pre-Readers – Paths to Literacy
- Getting started with screen magnification – Perkins School for the Blind
Related links
- Magnifying Glasses For Low Vision
- Choosing Accessible Microscopes For Low Vision
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
- iOS Magnifier and Low Vision Accessibility
Braille
Braille is not a language, it’s a code! Braille has its own writing system, with six dots in each braille cell (though some systems use eight dots). The different combinations of raised dots are used to show letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols. Almost all modern languages can be transcribed into braille, and each language has its own system of how braille is encoded. With uncontracted braille, also known as Grade 1 braille, each braille cell represents a single letter, number, or symbol. Contracted braille, also known as Grade 2 braille, has cells for specific letter combinations and words, which can help make it faster to read and is typically used for signs and transcripts.
Activity ideas for learning about braille
There are lots of activities suggested within the links below! Here are a few creative options.
- Use tennis balls to introduce the braille alphabet. Use a muffin tin and six tennis balls to represent the letters of the braille alphabet (see YouTube video below from Cayla with a C)
- You’ve got braille! Create a matching activity with braille dot patterns and print letters/numbers.
- Braille art and tactile graphics. Design braille art or a tactile graphic that has braille labels.
Websites to explore
- Welcome to the Braille Bug® – BrailleBug
- Helen Keller Kids Museum (afb.org)
- Learn the braille alphabet | YouTube
- UEB Online | UEB Literacy, Mathematics & Music Braille Training (not super kid-friendly, but a fantastic resource for learning braille online)
- Braille for Sighted Classmates and Family Members – Paths to Literacy
- Tips for Promoting Braille in the Classroom | American Foundation for the Blind
Related links
- Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day
- April Fool’s Day Prank Lessons For Low Vision Assistive Technology
White cane (blindness cane)
A blindness cane (sometimes called a long cane, white cane, or probing cane) is a tool used by people with visual impairments to navigate indoor and outdoor environments independently. A blindness cane may be used as a way of letting others know that a person has trouble seeing, as well as for mobility purposes, providing feedback about a person’s environment and alerting them to potential obstacles. While many people think of blindness canes as being rigid or a solid white color, blindness canes come in many different configurations including canes with collapsible segments, different types of cane tips, colored blindness canes (or canes with colored segments), and different sizes/lengths. An orientation and mobility specialist (known as a COMS) trains people with visual impairments on how to use a blindness cane or other types of mobility aids, and kids can start learning O&M skills as young as six months old.
Never touch someone’s white cane without their permission, especially while they are using it. Picking up a cane while someone is walking makes it impossible for them to explore their surroundings or identify obstacles like potholes!
Activity ideas for learning about white canes/blindness canes
- Pete the Cat cane activities. Check out the linked “Rocking in my School Shoes” activities about using a white cane at school and learning to navigate with tactile maps.
- Learn to be a human guide. Practice techniques related to guiding someone who uses a blindness cane, including having the person they are guiding hold onto their arm (instead of having the guide grab onto the person), as well as providing descriptive directions that avoid phrases like “over there.”
- Avoid blindfold activities, as these can perpetuate misconceptions about visual impairment or potentially lead to injury,
Websites to explore
- Celebrating White Cane Day! – Perkins School for the Blind
- Pete the Cat Activity Page – Great Expectations (nbp.org)
- Eight Cane Tips from Pete the Cat – Great Expectations (nbp.org)
- Make a Rocking Tactile School Map – Great Expectations (nbp.org)
- White Cane Curious? Tap into How People Travel When Blind or Low Vision – ConnectCenter
Related links
- Blindness Canes and WonderWord: An O&M Word Search
- Decoding The Tips of Blindness Canes
- Decoding The Colors of Blindness Canes
- Ten Things To Know About Going To College With A Blindness Cane
- 12 Safe Alternatives To The Bird Box Challenge
Glasses for low vision
The term visual impairment is used to describe vision loss that cannot be corrected by glasses, contacts, or surgery. This is inclusive of blindness/Blind individuals, low vision, and neurological visual impairment (sometimes referred to as cortical visual impairment/cerebral visual impairment or CVI). Even though someone’s vision loss may not be corrected to 20/20 while wearing glasses, they might still get some benefit from wearing prescription glasses, or they might wear sunglasses or tinted lenses to help protect their eyes or make it easier to see certain items. For people with low vision, glasses can help people use their residual vision/usable vision effectively.
Alternatively, someone may have low vision or another type of visual impairment and prefer not to wear any glasses at all, because they might find glasses to be uncomfortable or painful to wear. This doesn’t mean that the person is not actually visually impaired, but rather that their particular type of vision loss cannot be corrected with prescription lenses. For example, someone that has limited peripheral vision or blind spots in their central vision may not find glasses useful.
Activity ideas for learning about glasses for low vision (uncorrectable vision loss)
- Learn about conditions that contribute to low vision. Low vision simulators can be used to identify characteristics of common types of visual impairments. These can include online simulations and wearable simulations, though it is important to emphasize that this reflects a singular experience with low vision and that visual impairment can affect others in different ways.
- Emphasize what I can see. For classrooms that have a student with vision loss not corrected by glasses, encourage the student to share things that they can see and strategies that make things easier to see, which is often easier to talk about than what someone can’t see.
Websites to explore
- FamilyConnect® – ConnectCenter
- Blindness (for Kids) | Nemours KidsHealth
- Visual Impairments Factsheet (for Schools) | Nemours KidsHealth
- Low Vision and Blindness 101 – Blind Children’s Center
- Eyeglasses Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Glasses 101 for Children with Low Vision/Blindness – VIPS
Related links
- Wearing Tinted Glasses for Low Vision
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Glasses
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Eyes
- How I Respond To Children’s Questions/Comments About Low Vision
- Using PicsArt To Simulate Low Vision
Access barriers for visual impairment
Access barriers can make it more difficult or impossible for people with visual impairments to navigate physical or digital environments safely or independently. Some examples of access barriers include:
- Inaccessible websites or software that doesn’t support assistive technology
- Items in the middle of walkways that people can easily run into, like bikes or signs
- Content that can’t be enlarged and/or read with a screen reader or text-to-speech
- Images or videos that are not described
- Barriers that impact specific conditions, such as lights that are too bright or too dim, strobe or flashing lights, visually cluttered environments, etc.
While every person with a visual impairment encounters accessibility barriers at some point in their life, people with visual impairments can still have full and productive lives where they can go to school, have a job and family, engage in hobbies or activities they are interested in, and learn how to navigate accessibility barriers or find ways to eliminate them.
Activity ideas for learning about access barriers for visual impairment
- Spot (in)accessibility. Explore a classroom, school, or other real-world environment and identify potential access barriers for people with visual impairments, or access enablers that make an environment more accessible for someone with a visual impairment to navigate independently. Identify ways that access barriers could potentially be removed (e.g. moving a trash can from the middle of the hallway)
- Turn a picture into (less than) a thousand words. Practice writing alt text or image descriptions for images, student artwork, or other visual content. High-quality alt text answers the following questions:
- What is in the image?
- Why is this relevant?
- What would someone need to know about this image in order to understand it?
- Learn to make accessible content. Learn how to make digital content accessible using strategies like headings, formatting ordered and unordered lists, sharing information in file formats that can be read with assistive technology, how to add alt text to images, and how to copy text from images.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- School Cafeterias and Low Vision
- Elementary School Classrooms And Low Vision Accessibility
- Middle School Classrooms And Low Vision Accessibility
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Environmental Accommodations For Low Vision Students
- Learning to Self-Advocate With Low Vision
More websites and free resources that teach kids about low vision and assistive technology
- Interested in writing about visual impairment and/or assistive technology but have no idea where to start? Check out Your Paths to Technology – Perkins School for the Blind, which I created as part of my internship with Paths to Technology.
- To search for in-depth information about a particular topic, use the tips shared in How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics and How to Research AT and VI Effectively: YP2T Part 7 – Perkins School for the Blind
- Want to learn more about advocating for accessibility? Read Tips And Advice For New Accessibility Advocates
- Interested in activities related to web accessibility? Check out How Students Can Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Published October 7, 2020. Updated March 2026