Compensatory Skills
Alternative methods for tasks typically done visually, such as braille reading/writing, tactile exploration, and organizational strategies.
How to Read Text with Less Fatigue
Sydney
Grade: 8
Visual Impairment: CVI
Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, iPad
TVI email: ginger.schmidt@negaresa.org
If you love to read like I do (or don’t love to, but have someone telling you to for school), here are some tips and tricks I use to read print:
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I use my finger to track and keep my place in books
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I read large print when available
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I wear glasses
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I use a footrest if my feet won’t reach the ground to help stay steady
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I try to maintain good posture to prevent my neck and shoulders from hurting
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I also use audiobooks when possible or when my eyes/vision are tired (I practice increasing the speed to increase my fluency)
What do you do to help with reading, especially texts for school?
How to Tackle School Work
Sydney
Grade: 8
Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, iPad
TVI email: ginger.schmidt@negaresa.org
Visual Impairment: CVI
We all love doing school work, am I right? But sometimes our vision can get in the way of all the fun. Here’s what helps me:
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I use a Chromebook that I can take to and from school
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I use speech to text programs to help speed up typing
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My Chromebook has a touch screen, so I can navigate better
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I also use screen reading apps (like Speechify) to read long passages
What things do you do to help schoolwork be even more fun than it naturally is?
How to Work on Math
Sydney
Grade: 8
Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, iPad
TVI email: ginger.schmidt@negaresa.org
Visual Impairment: CVI
Have you ever tried to work on math for school, and you can't do it because you can't see it well? Here are just a few tools I use to make my life easier.
I use a tactile coordinate plane. I can put the points on the plane and feel them.
I use graph paper with larger (1/2") squares. This size allows me to easily tell squares apart, and it helps me line up the number for problems.
I also love to use an online graphing calculator called Desmos. It's very user friendly and has functions that help despite my vision impairment.
If a graph image is small, I have someone tell me the points on the graph, especially if the lesson is one about slopes or distance.
It can still be difficult seeing lines on a graph. Do you have any thoughts on how to help with that? If you have any questions or other tools you use that you think would be helpful, please let me know.