Support for visually impaired and blind students
Support for visually impaired and blind students
According to the RNIB there were 350,000 people registered blind or partially sighted in the UK in March 2017 with 25,000 being children aged 16 years and under. While more than two million people are estimated to be living with sight loss in the UK today that is severe enough to have a significant impact on their daily lives. Interestingly, an estimated 285 million people are living with sight loss worldwide, with 39 million people who are blind and 246 million people who are partially sighted.
Amongst the barriers that blind and visually impaired students face are difficulties accessing text, difficulties with becoming accustomed to new surroundings and assumptions made by other people, such as that they won’t be able to cope with studying. However, all of these obstacles can be overcome. Coping strategies for visually impaired and blind students can include:
- The use of Braille and electronic devices like a Braille note
- Human support, (note-takers, readers)
- Screen magnification and text-to-speech software (can be used with scanners)
- CCTVs
- Digital recording devices
