Worksheets, books and screens

The two-minute fix

When the worksheet is already on the desk:

1. Fold it so only one question shows.
2. Or photograph it on a tablet and zoom in on one item.
3. Cover the clutter. Put sticky notes over borders, clip art and the questions you’ve skipped.
4. Color the answer spot. Trace the line or box in one bright highlighter.
5. Cut what isn’t the point. If the goal is sorting letters, let the student point or say the answer instead of cutting and pasting.
6. Clear the desk so the page is the only thing on it.

Worksheets, before and after

Before	After
20 problems on one page	One or two problems, with wide space between
Three tasks on a page	Three pages, one task each
Borders, clip art, a cartoon mascot	A plain white page
Black-and-white line drawings	A color photo of the real thing on a plain background, or the real thing
Small Times New Roman	A plain font like Arial or Verdana, at the size the vision teacher sets
Graph paper or lines everywhere	Plain paper with one bold answer line
Find a word among 20	Find it among two or three, spaced far apart
Cut and paste	Point, say it, or drag it on a tablet

If your student needs large print, clear the clutter first, then enlarge.

Real things before pictures

A real object gives a student color, size, sound and touch. A photo gives less. A line drawing gives only an outline.

• Teach with the real thing first, then a color photo of that same thing. Drawings come last, if at all.
• Expect a new angle to be a new picture. A student who knows a car from the side may not know it from the front.

Color

• Use one bright color for what matters: the answer box, the key word, the plus sign.
• Keep the same color for the same thing all year.
• Don’t color everything. That’s just clutter again.
• Ask the vision teacher if your student has a color that works best.

Reading and print

• Use the font, size and line spacing from the vision teacher’s recommendations.
• Give a reading window: a dark card with a slot cut in it that shows one line at a time.
• Offer audio or braille alongside print if the student uses them. Many students use more than one.
• Expect print to get harder as the day goes on.

Picture books

Busy illustrations can hide the main character.

• Pick books with one clear picture on a plain background.
• Cover the busy parts with paper, or describe the page: “The bear is in the bottom corner, in a red hat.”
• Make a story box: three or four real things from the story that the student holds while you read.

The board and slides

• Put a copy of the board on the student’s desk or tablet.
• Say what you write as you write it.
• Slides get one idea, a plain background, and no flying text.

Screens and tablets

• A lit screen helps many students with CVI see and pay attention, so a tablet copy often beats paper.
• Some students find bright light hard. If they squint or turn away, turn the brightness down.
• Show one item per screen. Use the zoom, and mark up the page in color with the photo markup tool or a slide app.
• Screens tire eyes too. Plan breaks.

Ask, don’t guess

The vision teacher (TVI) often does a learning media assessment, which sets out how the student learns best and at what size. Ask for the recommendations. For worked examples, see Perkins’ guide, Adapting worksheets for CVI. For the room itself, use the classroom checklist.