Visual impairment

The number of schools that exist specifically for children with visual impairment has fallen significantly in recent years, and those that remain are educating pupils with increasingly complex needs.

Children with visual impairments may attend their local school with specialist support from a local authority service or go to a mainstream school that is specifically designated for blind and partially sighted pupils.

However, most children with complex needs that include a visual impairment attend generic special schools maintained by local authorities, rather than schools specialising in sight problems. Around 4 per cent of the total number of children with visual impairment use Braille as their primary learning medium.

Elizabeth Clery, expert in the teaching and provision of services for visually impaired children. elucidates.

Incidence of Visual Impairment (VI)

Having a child with visual impairment (VI) is relatively rare. There are around 24,000 children in the UK between birth and 16 who are blind or partially sighted, some of whom may be registered. For about half these children, visual impairment is their only problem, but some 20 per cent have some additional need or needs and 30 per cent have profound or complex needs with associated learning difficulties. Many children with a visual impairment have a statement of special educational need.

Schooling for children with VI

Over half of blind or partially sighted children (59 per cent, to be precise) are educated in mainstream schools.  In these, specialist support forms part of the permanent school staffing. It is common for teaching assistants to provide much of the support to children with visual impairment.

Wherever pupils with a visual impairment are educated it is essential to provide the range of educational and social opportunities that enable them to participate on an equal basis with their fully sighted peers. But children don’t all have the same requirements. They may require different levels of support for different reasons and the level and type of support may vary over time; for some this will be minimal, for others it may be substantial.

Much depends on the effectiveness of the individual school and class teacher.

What's best for your child with VI?

When considering what is best for your own child, you’ll naturally look for a school that is inclusive, positive and welcoming to all children, especially those with diverse or special needs, and which welcomes parental support and input and is keen to work as a team. Here are some more specific things to ask about or to look out for:

• Teachers and those who will be working with your child should receive (or have had) additional training and support necessary to help them in their work with VI. The best schools will ensure training is ongoing, not just a half-day session tagged on to an INSET day.
• It’s important that the teacher ...