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Courses Vision Impairment (Further Education)

Adult with glasses on a laptop

The term vision impairment is used to describe a loss of sight where the person ranges from severely sight impaired (blind) to sight impaired (partially sighted). Around 4,600 students aged 16 to 18 (RNIB, 2021) in colleges of further education have a vision impairment. A young person is thought to have a vision impairment if they have an eye condition that cannot be fully corrected using glasses or contact lenses.

Vision impairment is a lifelong disability that requires proactive specialist provision and support if the learner is to develop fundamental skills, make equivalent learning achievements and lead emotionally resilient and independent lives. Where a learner does not have access to the same visual experiences and cues as their peers, their learning opportunities can be significantly impaired.

This course responds to the information needs of the whole community centred around supporting the young person with a hearing impairment. You will learn how to assess the needs of a learner and go on to develop a support plan consisting of SMART goals and interventions, which you will implement and later review to determine how well it has met the learner’s developmental needs.

Our Vision Impairment course is perfect for those who work with students in a further education setting such as teachers, college tutors, teaching assistants, heads of department and college leaders. This course is also useful for the parents/carers of students with a vision impairment.

Our courses are structured into four sections. Click on the section headings to reveal page titles and some example content.

Understanding

Understand what visual impairment is and the importance of inclusion in a further education setting.

  1. Section objectives
  2. What is vision impairment?
  3. How the eye works
    Screenshot from Understanding page 3
    Screenshot from Understanding page 3
  4. Common eye conditions
  5. Albinism
  6. Aniridia
  7. Astigmatism
  8. Cataracts
  9. Optic atrophy
  10. Glaucoma
  11. Hypermetropia (long sight)
  12. Maculopathy
  13. Myopia (short sighted)
    Screenshot from Understanding page 13
    Screenshot from Understanding page 13
  14. Nystagmus
  15. Retinitis pigmentosa
  16. Facts and figures
  17. Quick quiz: Fact or fiction – common eye myths
  18. A history of the education of those with visual impairment
  19. The history of visual impairment – 20th century
  20. How does vision impairment affect a child’s development?
  21. End of section quiz
  22. Section summary
Assessment

Explore some of the formal and informal tests used to assess vision and its implications for learning.

  1. Section objectives and your learner profile
  2. Why assess?
    Screenshot from Assessment page 2
    Screenshot from Assessment page 2
  3. Visual assessment
  4. What does visual acuity mean?
  5. Functional vision and its effects on learning
  6. Can’t read print/see pictures
  7. Strategies to improve access
    Screenshot from Assessment page 7
    Screenshot from Assessment page 7
  8. Assessing individual needs
  9. Social interaction and communication
  10. Learning needs
  11. Mobility needs
  12. Assessing the environment
  13. Planning for independence
  14. Course assignment: Your learner’s three SMART goals
  15. Section summary
Interventions

Choose from a range of strategies to develop personalised learning programmes to ensure equality of access for learners with vision impairment.

  1. Section objectives
  2. Considerations to ensure curriculum delivery
  3. Advance planning
  4. Modification of materials and provision of additional resources
  5. Adapting the classroom environment
  6. Use of technology and other resources
    Screenshot from Interventions page 6
    Screenshot from Interventions page 6
  7. Self-help and independence skills
  8. Social skills
  9. Specific interventions
  10. Educational provision
    Screenshot from Interventions page 10
    Screenshot from Interventions page 10
  11. Course assignment: Your learner’s interventions
  12. End of section quiz
  13. Section summary
Case Studies

View real life examples of interventions and their resulting progress.

  1. Case study: Nancy prepares for A levels
  2. Case study: Introduction: Sussex Downs College
  3. Case study: Sussex Downs College – Rohan
  4. Case study: Lewes college – David
  5. Case study: Sussex Downs College supporting mature students
  6. Case study: Transitions to college, university or work
“It has given me confidence and much more knowledge about VI, that I can take and put into practice. The case studies were great for giving more understanding.

Other Position

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“The training has given me a deeper understanding of the difficulties that students with VI face. I have been able to support my student by enlarging worksheets and using visual clues and timetables, which have contributed to raising his self-esteem and feeling of achievement.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“Very informative and really makes you think about how much a visual impairment affects learning.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“Understanding how visual impairments impact development and learning will help me support students more effectively.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“This course has allowed me to set goals which I have run alongside my appraisal and will help me better support my student this year.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“On starting this course, I had little knowledge of visual impairments and although we do have students with a VI, I have not been directly involved with their support. I now feel I have a much better understanding of the complexities and range of conditions that affect a person's sight as well as how young people have overcome barriers to go on and achieve. I will be researching two particular eye conditions which relate to students at our college. I will also be reading their EHCPs and support needs. Both of these actions will improve the support I could give should I be required to work with those students. I will look at how we adapt lessons to make them more inclusive for students with a visual impairment and be mindful of the social interaction difficulties that are particular to a VI student. Lastly, the importance of promoting independence and seeing how this can best be achieved or improved has been highlighted by completing this course.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“The training introduced me to a variety of visual impairments that I was not aware of. It also explained the different impact each condition might have on an individual, stating how it might differ between each person. I was able to identify new methods for assessment to determine what my students needs were and confidently write SMART goals and interventions to successfully implement these measures. My tutor was only an email away and was very responsive and supportive of my development. Thank you.

Teaching Assistant

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“As a DSA specialist mentor, it will give me the confidence to ensure that the VI specialist assessor's needs assessment is implemented to the full at the university. Also, that I can discuss any emerging needs of the student and we can work out a plan to meet them.

Other Position

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“I feel more confident in understanding SI. I can understand when a student describes their condition. I am more confident in being aware of the aids available for a VI student. When I started the course I had a good understanding of students with dyslexia and autism but knew nothing about VI. I particularly enjoyed the section on common eye conditions. My mother suffered a detached retina and I did not understand what that meant at the time but now I do. My son suffers from Astigmatism and short sightedness, and I had little understanding of these conditions. I really enjoyed the course as it was detailed and very interesting. I benefited from seeing all the examples of students at university and how well they were coping.

Qualified Teacher

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

“As my role is very similar to mentoring the impact has mainly been on how I would approach working with a VI student. E.g. greatly increased confidence in talking to VI students about their needs; increased awareness of the impact that VI can have on learning and development as a whole. This has also meant a more joined up approach to VI students that is inclusive and takes into account the implications of a social model of disability and the wider adjustments that should be made to allow VI students equal access.

Advisory Teacher

Vision Impairment (Further Education)

STEPS for Schools

Affordable

annual or monthly plans

  • 12 specialist SEND courses covering essential areas from Autism to ADHD, with flexible, self-paced learning
  • 3 structured learning levels for each course, enabling all your staff to have the level of knowledge, skills and practical resources which is needed for their role
  • Unlimited access for all staff with flexible monthly or annual subscription options
  • Progress tracking KPI dashboard to monitor whole-school SEND development and outcomes
  • SEND webinar library to enable staff to continue their professional development in any areas of interest

Flexible payment options

Annual subscription

£800

/ saving £400 compared to monthly payments

Monthly subscription

£100

/ per month

Register to find out more
Local Authority/MAT

Flexible

and scalable finance options

  • Impactful for School Staff Having all the knowledge, tools and confidence to imporve outcomes for CYP
  • Enjoyable and Rewarding for Your Team Training to mentor staff to embed best practice through solution-focused coaching skills
  • Sustainable for Your Organisation Highly cost effective with evidenced KPIs embedded, and ongoing personalised strategic support from Educational Psychologists to maximise outcomes
  • Builds System-Wide Expertise Creates a consistent approach to SEND across your entire network of schools, reducing variation in provision quality

Book a meeting with your service coordinator Richard Skelton, Educational Psychologist

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • describe the impact that vision loss can have on student learning and social inclusion
  • use checklists to carry out observations of a student’s functional vision
  • make appropriate adjustments in the classroom environment to support the learning and social inclusion of vision impaired students
  • employ strategies to increase independent learning skills
  • prepare students for transition to work or university
  • create a support plan for a pupil/group of pupils in your school

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