Students who are Blind or Partially Sighted

A major challenge facing students who are blind at universities is the overwhelming mass of printed material with which they are confronted. All students need to have access to textbooks, all course materials including reserve readings, course packets, shared instructor notes, posted PowerPoint slides, class notes, anything posted on course specific websites. Your assistance is required in order to ensure the University meets it’s legal obligation to ensure that students with a documented disability which qualifies the student for electronic text as an academic adjustment under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 has access to all course materials.

Not all blind students read Braille, many use adaptive software to read materials to them rather than Braille. Students with low vision usually do not read Braille, but do require electronic text materials. Many students may need to tape lectures. Please carefully review the Advocacy Memo from the Office of Accessibility to determine what academic accommodations the individual student may use in the course.

Learn More About Ensuring Students are Provided with Accessible:

• Textbooks
• Course Materials/ Syllabus
• In Class Handouts
• Materials in Library Reserve
• DL and web assisted materials
• Testing
• Recording Lectures
• Creating Accessible Documents

You Can Also Assist Students by:

Describing Visual Cues in the Classroom
Provide students who are blind with orientation to the classroom by describing the physical layout of the room including any obstacles, furniture, lecture position, location of steps, or any low-hanging objects. When there is a blind student in the classroom, the professor should remember that "this and that" phrases are basically meaningless to the student: for example, "the sum of this plus that equals this" or "the lungs are located here and the diaphragm here." In the first example, the instructor may be writing on the chalkboard and can just as easily say. "The sum of 4 plus 7 equals 11 ." The student who is blind in this case is getting the same information as the sighted student. In the second example, the instructor can "personalize" the locations of the lungs and diaphragm by asking class members to locate them by touch on their own bodies. Examples of this will not always be possible, however, if' the faculty member is aware not to use strictly visual examples, the student who is blind will benefit.

Thinking Creatively and Being Willing to Modify the Environment or your Teaching Techniques When Presenting Art and Other Visual Subject Matter
Conversations between the student who is blind and the professor can lead to new and even exciting instructional techniques that may benefit the entire class.
For example, it is often thought that a student who is blind cannot take a course in art appreciation and that if this is a requirement, for graduation, it should be waived. However, the student who is blind should have the opportunity to become familiar with the world's great art. A classmate or reader who is particularly talented at verbally describing visual images can assist the student who is blind as a visual "interpreter" or "translator." The "Mona Lisa" (or other great works of art) can be described, and there are poems written about the "Mona Lisa" that may be used as teaching aids to give more insight and understanding to the work. Miniature models of great works of sculpture can also be made available for display and touching in the classroom.
One student was able to learn the proper technique in an archery class when a rope was stretched perpendicular to the target. A "beeper" added to the target assisted with positioning. The point is that certain disabilities (in this case, blindness) do not automatically preclude participation in certain activities or classes. Students, professors, and advisers must be careful not to lower expectations solely on the basis of disability. The Office of Accessibility can assist you and the student with identifying effective instruction strategies where needed.

Being Aware of Guide Dog Guidelines
Some students who are blind use guide dogs. A guide dog will not disturb the class. Guide dogs are, very highly trained and disciplined. Most of the time, the dog will lie quietly under or beside the table or desk. The greatest disruption a professor can expect may be an occasional yawn or stretch. It is good to remember that as tempting as it may be to feed, pet or speak to a guide dog, the dog while in harness is responsible for guiding its owner, and should never be distracted from that duty.

Planning for Field Trips
If classes involve field trips to out-of-class locations, discuss travel needs with the student who is blind. In most instances, all that will be required is for a member of the class to act as a sighted guide. In locations where public transportation is adequate, many blind persons travel quite independently.

Being aware of Partial Sight and Accommodations
Between 70 and 80 percent of all legally blind persons in the United States have some measurable vision. Partially sighted students often require many of the same accommodations as totally blind students. This includes readers, tape-recorded texts, raised line drawings, describing visual cues in class, etc. In addition, depending on their level and type of vision, partially sighted students may use large print textbooks, handouts and tests, a closed-circuit TV: magnifier or other magnifying device. Large print is usually 18 to 22 pt., but varies from student to student. In class some partially sighted students are able to take notes with a bold felt tip pen or marker. The Office of Accessibility will work with the student to identify individual needs.  

When a Student Doesn't Appear "Blind"
There are two basic difficulties that the partially sighted student is confronted with that the student who is blind is not. First, the partially sighted student is sometimes viewed by instructors and classmates as "faking it" because most partially sighted students do not use white canes for travel and because most are able to get around much like everyone else. People have difficult believing that the student needs to use adaptive methods when utilizing printed materials.
One partially sighted student commented that having been observed playing Frisbee by one of her instructors, she was sure that the instructor would no longer believe that she was partially sighted. As she explained, she had more peripheral than central vision and was able to see a red Frisbee. If any other color Frisbee was used, she could not see well enough to play. Playing Frisbee and reading a printed page present quite different visual requirements. This is often difficult for the fully sighted person to understand.

Large Size Handwriting and Large Print
The second difficulty that the partially sighted students experience can have a more subtle effect. The sighted reader's psychological response to large handwriting may be that "a child has written this." Unfortunately this may unconsciously lead to the conclusion that the written communication, e.g. a student's essay on an exam, is less sophisticated than that of other students. It is very important to read for content and try not to be distracted by large size writing. Note: it is sometimes assumed that a student using large print is trying to make an assignment appear longer as in the case of a term paper of a required length. When the number of words instead of pages required is stated, the assignment length is clearer for everyone.

Meeting with the Partially Sighted Student
Potential difficulties can be alleviated if the student and professor discuss the student's needs early in the term. In the classroom accommodations such as sitting in the front of the room, having large print on the chalkboard, or the use of enlarged print on an overhead projector may assist a partially sighted student depending on their level of vision. However, the capacity to read printed materials with various visual impairments depends so greatly on conditions such as degree of contrast, brightness, and color. It is essential for the student and instructor to clarify what methods, techniques, or devices may be used to maximum advantage for that student in that setting.

Some of the above information was obtained and adapted with permission from the University of Michigan, Services for Students with Disabilities.

Textbooks

Textbooks for blind students are provided in electronic versions that either “read out loud” to students or as audio files. Textbooks are brailed, only in extraordinary circumstances when electronic text is not a reasonable accommodation. You can help ensure a blind/low vision student has a textbook at the beginning of the semester by:

• Ordering from a publisher that is known to provide accessible versions of textbooks. Here is a list of recommended publishers
  • Bedford/St. Martin's, W.H. Freeman, Worth Publishers
  • Cengage Learning
  • CQ Press
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • Pearson Education
  • Reed Elsevier Inc.
  • John Wiley & Sons
  • W.W. Norton
• If you do not order from a recommended publisher, asking your publisher’s sales representative if an accessible electronic version of the book is available. Order books only if the publisher will make accessible electronic copies of the book available to students with disabilities.
• Many students, even those without a disability, prefer electronic books, so consider ordering electronic versions of the books for the entire class, but at a minimum order at least a few electronic versions and work with the Bookstore or the Office of Accessibility to ensure those copies are reserved for students with disabilities.
• Making your book selection early. A good rule of thumb is to order books at least 6 weeks prior to the start of the semester. 

 

Course Materials/ Syllabus

Ensure that your course materials are accessible to all students in your class. This includes course packets, materials in library reserve, posted to course specific websites, sent by email, or given out in class.   

 

In Class Handouts

If you handout assignments in class you have a couple options:

• Make an electronic version of all in-class handouts available via an email to the class list, or a course website either before or after the material is passed out in class as appropriate given the nature of the material/assignment. This allows all students the ability to review the handouts. Review of those materials can be critical to students with a disability that made it difficult to read the information in the handout during class.
• Ask low vision students if an enlarged copy of handouts would work for him/her and if so what font size would be best. Low vision students also benefit greatly from an electronic copy that will read to them to avoid eye strain.
• Ask low vision students if an enlarged copy of handouts would work for him/her and if so what font size would be best.
• Ask the blind/low vision students if he/she can bring a laptop computer and headphones or BrailleNote to class. If the student has access to a laptop, or BrailleNote you can create and save the document to a flash drive and give it to the student during class, or email the document to the student so that the student can listen to the document as classmates read the document. Please ensure the materials are accessible (See the section above about creating accessible documents)
  • If using an electronic version in the classroom is not an option for a blind student, you may send the document to be converted to Braille. Send documents via email, as “MS Word” documents, to offacc@utnet.utoledo.edu Please allowing at least 48 hours for processing. Pick up the Braille document in the Office of Accessibility, 1820 Rocket Hall so that it can be given out during class at the same time other students receive the handout.
• Documents emailed in an electronic format other than “MS Word” or dropped off as a hard copy to our office in 1820 Rocket Hall usually need to be re-typed, or scanned and significantly edited, and so take significantly longer to convert to Braille. Please allow at least 5 business days for short documents of 10 pages or less to be converted to Braille. Longer documents may take several weeks to Braille.

 

Materials in Library Reserve

When giving hard copy materials to the library reserve staff to scan and post, please send original documents. Copies that have any marks, underlining, shadows, writing in margins, blurred, light, or specked printing will not scan appropriately. Please inform the library reserve staff that the materials need to be accessible to a student who requires e-text to ensure the materials are checked for accessibility. For more information on putting materials on reserve click here

DL and Web Assisted Materials

Please inform your Learning Ventures designer that the materials need to be accessible to a student who requires e-text to ensure the materials are checked for accessibility.

Testing

Email tests to be converted to Braille as “MS Word” documents to oatesting@utoledo.edu at least 3 days before the scheduled test date. You may pick up the test in our office, if you are going to administer the test to the student. If the assistance of the Office of Accessibility is needed in administering the test, please review the Faculty Guide to Testing Accommodations

 

Recording Lectures

Some faculty members are concerned about having their lectures tape-recorded. The use of a tape recorder is for the sole purpose of equal access. Any lectures recoded are for the student's use only and are not to be duplicated or shared with anyone else.

Creating Accessible Documents

“MS Word” files generally require that the computer used has adaptive screen reading software, like “JAWS” loaded. Most, but not all, blind students have reading software installed on their personal computers, however if you plan on using “Word” documents , please check with the student to ensure they have software installed that will allow them to read the document.
 PDF files have screen reading software embedded and so can be read without any adaptive software. In order for the “Read Out Loud” functionality to work:

• • Scan original documents. The printing must be very clear in order for optical character recognition software to identify the letters. Copies that have any marks, underlining, shadows, writing in margins, blurred, light, or specked printing will not scan appropriately, and should be re-typed prior to scanning.
  • If scanning portions of a book, we suggest you use a book scanner to avoid “binder shadows” that are caused when the binding of the book is pressed down to scan using a flatbed scanner. A book scanner is available in the Office of Accessibility, and may be used free of charge.
  • Scan the document as a PDF Image/Text file. PDFs scanned as image files will not read.
  • Check the file after scanning to ensure that:
    • The magnifying glass functions works.
    • The “Read Out loud” function works. For instructions on checking that the Read Out Loud function works click here.

Quick Tips to Accessible Word Processing Documents
When done correctly, the document ensures correct reading-order and allows it to re-flow to fit the display when the magnification or display size is changed.

• Place content in logical reading order. This is fundamental to creating accessible document.
• Do not use TAB, Spacebar and Enter keys to format for tables, columns, lists etc.
• Use the application's built-in features to encode semantic structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, sections, headers/footers, tables, columns, forms etc.).
• Define and use styles to format structural elements like headings, paragraphs etc. to control typography and layout.
• Use standard fonts. Do not use fonts that do not map to Unicode.
• Avoid complex layout, sidebars and other ornamentation as they make it difficult to maintain a logical reading order.
• Avoid placing content in drawing-canvases or text-boxes as these are floating objects and flow to the bottom of a page's reading-order.
• Group multiple graphic elements (created by drawing tools, charts etc) into one image.
• Provide alternative text descriptors for all non-textual elements (graphs, images, illustration, pictures, multimedia, etc) that provide essential information.
• Ensure that all navigation and interactivity can be performed using the keyboard.

Resources at Microsoft

• Online Tutorial on Creating Accessible Office Documents
• Office 2007 Accessibility Resources
• Office 2007 System Accessibility Tutorials
• Accessibility in MS Products

Resources at Adobe

• Accessibility Center at Adobe
• Online Tutorials on Creating Accessible PDF

Many blind students prefer that the course syllabus be Brailed so that they can be easily referenced without access to a computer. We suggest that you created all syllabi as a “MS Word” documents. Ask the student if they would prefer a Braille syllabus and, if so send the work document to offacc@utnet.utoledo.edu