Accommodations for Students with Vision Loss

In Canada, CNIB is an essential resource for families raising children with vision loss, providing ongoing education, information, peer support and, in some communities, an intensive Early Intervention Program that guides parents and children through the crucial first seven years of a child's life.

Once a child reaches school age, CNIB is on hand to assist with integration into a school environment.

"Once parents have a child registered, then we usually start by having a meeting with everybody who's involved with that child. We bring the school up to speed on this particular child and the strategies that should be incorporated into the school," explains Kerrie St Jean, a Professional Practice Leader with CNIB Children and Family Services for Ontario.

A New Spin on Environmental Assessments

Sometimes a CNIB Independent Travel - Orientation and Mobility Instructor will be contracted by the school board to do an environmental assessment and asked to make recommendations about school retrofits to accommodate a particular child - regarding lighting, for example.

"You have to make sure there's appropriate lighting in all hallways, corridors and stairwells, as well as hand railings," says St. Jean.

"And if a child is very sensitive to light, you need to make sure that there are appropriate window coverings, and that you give them enough time to transition from brightly-lit rooms to dimly-lit rooms and from outdoors to indoors."

Getting to Know You

"But it's just information-sharing, mostly," adds St. Jean. "There are so many people who have never come in contact with a person who has vision loss and it can be intimidating at first. So [it's helpful] having somebody from CNIB attend these transition meetings to share this information and offer support."

"A child can be integrated into any neighbourhood school and we just provide assistance and help the parent advocate so they are able to make sure that the supports are there for their child."

CNIB Supports Schools, Families and Kids

If the school needs any additional support or resources, the CNIB specialist involved will let educators know where they can go to get what they need, and helps to coordinate the process.

CNIB also checks in with families on a yearly basis to remind them that other programs and services are available to their child, such as summer and youth programs or Independent Travel training, to augment a child's schooling.

"We ask things like, "Does your child need training on public transportation?" and "Do they need employment counselling when they're ready to leave school?" - and we are able to refer to those services at different points in time," says St. Jean.

"We're making sure the parents are well-versed in all the things CNIB can help them out with."

For More Information

Contact your local CNIB office to learn more about the services available for your child's age group. CNIB works in communities all across Canada; availability of programs and services may depend on your location. For more information, check out CNIB in your Community on www.cnib.ca or call 1-800-563-2642.