# Supports to ask for at school > These are school supports that often help children with CVI, grouped by the problem they solve and written so you can copy them into a plan. They are options, not a recipe. Every child with CVI is different, so let a functional vision assessment by a teacher of the visually impaired guide which ones your child gets. Updated 2026-10-04. Canonical: https://cviexplained.com/iep-accommodations/ ## Read this first - These are options. Every child with CVI is different. - A functional vision assessment by a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) should guide the choice. Ask the TVI to name which of these fit your child. - Fill the [brackets] with numbers from the assessment, not guesses. - Ask that each support say who does it and when. "As needed" often means never. ## Clutter and busy pages - Worksheets with no more than [two] problems per page, on plain white paper, with no clip art, borders or grid lines. - Seat facing a plain wall, away from bulletin boards, windows and shelves. - Desk cleared to only the materials for the current task. - A plain, single-color mat or folder under work materials. ## One thing at a time - One direction at a time. Staff wait for a response before giving the next. - Child is not asked to look, listen and write at the same time. - Child may look away or close their eyes to listen. This is not counted as off task. - One object or picture shown at a time. ## Faces and people - Adults say their name when they approach: "Hi [child], it's Ms. [name]." - Eye contact is never required. - Praise and corrections are said out loud, not shown only with a look or gesture. - At pickup and in groups, the adult goes to the child and speaks, instead of waving from across the room. ## Stairs, curbs and the lower field - Bright tape on stair edges, ramps, and the top and bottom steps the child uses. - Staff say what's coming: "Two steps down after the door." - Walkways near the child's seat and locker kept clear of bags and objects. - O&M instruction on the routes the child uses every day. ## Needing extra time - Wait time of [number] seconds after showing something. The adult stops talking while the child looks. - Extended time on classwork and homework: [time and a half]. - Shorter assignments that still cover the skill. - Copies of board and slide content given ahead of the lesson. ## Noise - Seat away from doors, hallway noise and fans. - A quiet space for focused visual work. - Music and videos turned off during visual tasks. - Option to eat lunch before the room fills, or in a quieter room. ## Tiredness across the day - A visual break every [number] minutes or after each visual task. - The most visual work scheduled at the time of day the child sees best: [morning]. - Option to switch to listening or hands-on work when vision is tired. - A short daily note home on signs of visual fatigue. ## Reading and print - Print in [size] [plain sans-serif font] with extra space between lines, as set by the learning media assessment. - Only one line or short section shown at a time, using a reading window or a plain card. - Real objects or photos used instead of drawings when the TVI finds they're easier. - Audio versions of texts available. - Key words highlighted in [color]. ## Screens - Slides and board work on the child's own device or paper, at near distance. - Device settings chosen with the TVI: zoom, contrast, plain backgrounds. - Animations and moving backgrounds turned off. - Staff read aloud what's on the board or screen. ## Tests - Tests taken in a quiet room with plain walls. - Extended time: [time and a half], with breaks. - Test pages reformatted with fewer items per page. Answers marked in the booklet or given out loud, not on a bubble sheet. - For state tests, the team lists which of these the state allows. ## PE and recess - A large, single-color ball that stands out from the floor. - An adult or classmate says where the ball or player is ("Coming from your left") instead of pointing. - Boundaries and equipment edges marked in a bright color. - A choice of a quieter game or space at recess. ## Hallways and transitions - Leave class [number] minutes early, before the hallway fills. - Same route every day, with landmarks chosen with the O&M specialist. - Preview new rooms before first use, and again after long breaks. - Locker or cubby in the same spot all year, marked in the child's color. - Advance warning before rooms, seats or routines change. ## Next step Take your top three needs to the meeting. Use the "Before the school meeting" checklist on cviexplained.com/iep-meeting-prep/. ## Questions people ask ### Should I ask for every support on this list? No. Pick the needs you see most, then ask for the supports in that section. The functional vision assessment should back up each one, so the plan fits your child and not a generic list. ### What goes in the blanks? Numbers like font size, wait time or problems per page should come from the TVI's assessment and what you see at home. If nobody has measured it yet, ask the team to try a starting number and check it. ## Sources - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI and the impact of clutter](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-impact-of-clutter/) - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI response interval](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-response-interval/) - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI sensory integration and its impact on vision](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-sensory-integration-and-its-impact-on-vision/) - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI access to people](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-access-to-people/) - [Perkins School for the Blind, CVI visual guidance of lower limbs](https://www.perkins.org/cvi-visual-guidance-of-lower-limbs/) - [Perkins School for the Blind, The science behind visual fatigue and CVI](https://www.perkins.org/the-science-behind-visual-fatigue-and-cvi/) - [Pilling et al., CVI consensus practice guide, Eye (2023)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10333179/) --- CVI Explained gives general information. It is not medical or legal advice and it does not diagnose.