Visual Impairment - Introduction

Visual impairment - having little or no sight - has been classified in a number of ways. Health and social services use the terms 'blind' for those with very little or no sight and 'partially sighted' for those with a small but useful leve

In education, the terms most commonly used are:

visually impaired - this can be a reference to a particular eye problem or to reduced vision resulting from brain damage

totally blind - having no sight at all.

A child is said to be visually impaired if their vision cannot be corrected to within normal limits by any means. Schools who have visually impaired children will need to make certain adaptations, such as adding white lines at the edges of steps, and to provide specially adapted equipment, such as magnifying screens and large print books. Outreach is usually provided, in the form of specialised advice and support, from a school for the blind, or direct from the RNIB.