Classroom checklist for a student with CVI

Start here

Sit in the student’s seat for one minute. Look at what they have to look at. Then work down this list.

The room

• The wall behind where you teach is plain. Take the posters down, or hang a plain dark sheet over them.
• The student doesn’t face a window. Light comes from the side or from behind them.
• Blinds come down on bright days, and nothing glares off the board or screen.
• The seat is close to you, on the side the vision teacher recommends.
• The seat is away from the door, the sink and the pencil sharpener, where people walk past.
• There is one plain spot for focused work: a bare corner, a tri-fold board, or a desk facing a blank wall.
• The desk holds only what this task needs.
• Supplies live in the same place every day, marked with one bright color. If you move something, tell the student.
• Noise is down. Tennis balls on chair legs, and pencil sharpening only at set times.
• Steps and ramps in and near the room have bright tape on the edges.

Materials

• One task per page, with lots of white space.
• No borders, clip art or busy backgrounds.
• A plain font like Arial or Verdana, at the size the vision teacher recommends.
• Real objects or color photos instead of black-and-white drawings.
• A copy on the desk or tablet of anything you put on the board.

More on this: Worksheets, books and screens.

How you teach

• Say your name every time: “Hi Maya, it’s Ms. Ortiz.”
• Show one thing at a time, on a plain background.
• Ask for one thing at a time. Look, or listen, or write. Not all three at once.
• Stop talking while the student looks. Count to ten in your head.
• Say what you’re showing: “This is a map of Ohio. The river is the blue line on the left.”
• Describe instead of point: “Your folder is on the left side of your desk,” not “It’s right there.”
• Don’t ask for eye contact. A student who looks away may be listening harder.

The day

• The hardest looking work goes in the morning.
• Breaks from looking are planned, not earned.
• After PE, recess or a long trip down the hall, expect less vision for a while.
• The student hears about changes first: a new seat, a visitor, a different room.
• The student leaves a few minutes early for lunch and room changes, before the halls fill up.
• When vision is spent, switch to listening, talking or hands-on work.

Leave this for a substitute

Copy it onto the top page of your sub plans.

[Name] has CVI. It’s a visual impairment that starts in the brain, so their eyes can look fine. Please:

• Say your name when you talk to them.
• Keep their desk clear and their seat where it is.
• Give one page or one thing at a time.
• Wait quietly while they look. Don’t repeat yourself.
• Let them leave at [time] for lunch and room changes, with [buddy or aide].
• If they shut their eyes or put their head down, offer a break. It’s tired vision, not defiance.

Questions? Ask [aide or teacher next door].

What this list is not

It’s a starting point, not a plan for one child. Every student with CVI is different. Ask the family and the vision teacher what matters most, and follow the IEP.