Visually Impaired People Organization would like to give you a checklist of things to do for visually impaired children as they prepare to go back to school.

1. You should take the kids to the doctor for an annual eye exam along with regular physical checkups at this time of year each year.

2. Make sure they have their glasses and have them repaired if they need to be repaired. Get them glasses if they need them. A child who needs glasses and doesn’t have them will not be productive in school because they cannot see to read their books or blackboard.

3. Check all assistive technology magnifiers, talking watches, calculators, ect., for dead batteries and replace them. Also check our computers for updates and make sure software is working properly.

4. Go to the store and look for large print rulers and bold line notebooks and paper.

5. Talk to teachers and counselors about the child’s visual impairment and get them to make accommodations and do IEP Individual Education Plan 504 PLANS for visually impaired kids so that they can have as normal a experience in school as possible.

6. Learn to become your own advocate and connect with local advocate groups who can advise you if they school does not accommodate your child’s needs.

7. Know what it takes for your kid to learn and how he or she needs to learn. If you don’t know, ask a low vision professional or certified eye doctor who specializes in low vision for his or her assistance getting the help you need.

8. Always start local and connect with local resources and if that does not work for you contact state agencies for help in paying for accommodations.

9. Google the term visual impairment and seek help with learning your rights to a public education. You may also seek a support group locally to help deal with the visual impairment for children and adults.

10. You may also want to visit our website for local assistance in finding assistive technology if you do not know where to purchase it locally. The website is www.visuallyimpairedpeople.org.

We hope this checklist helps you in preparing your visually impaired kids for school. If you need our assistance, we are here to offer you our services for free.

Make an appointment by calling us at 334-354-4015.

William Bowman
Visually Impaired People (VIP)