Blind and visually impaired

Blind and visually impaired students learning a second language present unique challenges that need to be addressed to ensure their success. They will have difficulty receiving linguistic input by reading the usual print material. This material may need to be in braille or large-print format. Since these students may miss non-verbal cues such as body language that help to make oral input understandable, it is important that the teacher use descriptive language to create the mental images that will help their understanding. These students will rely heavily on listening skills to learn. Any type of listening support such as advance organizers, tape-recorded lessons, support personnel to assist in note-taking, review of notes after class or computer technologies to convert print material into synthesized speech would be helpful.