1. Pupils with sensory impariments

Pupils with the visual impariment

Materials, desks, and other objects in the classroom should be maintained in consistent locations. Be sure that cabinets are fully closed, chairs pushed in, and doors are not left half ajar; it may help with safety in navigating the classroom. The teacher's assistant might help with room arrangements and room familiarization.

The pupil with low vision should sit near the front of the room where he can see the blackboard. Control lighting variables when presenting learning materials to those pupils who are sensitive to light and glare. Teacher should use verbal cues with those students who cannot see body movements or physical cues.

One essential key accommodation is access to textbooks and instructional materials in the appropriate media and at the same time as their peers. For pupils who are blind this may mean braille and/or audio (recorded) media. For the pupil with low vision, this may mean large print text or the use of optical devices to access text and/or recorded media while in class.

Pupils with hearing impairment

Pupils with hearing impairment will find it difficult to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication. For pupils who are deaf or have severe hearing losses, use of visible communication modes (such as sign language, fingerspelling, etc.) and/or amplification and aural/oral training can help reduce this language delay.

Pupils with hearing loss use oral or manual methods of communication or a combination of the two:

  • Oral communication (includes speech, speechreading and the use of residual hearing)
  • Manual communication (involves sign language, fingerspelling, and/or cued speech)
  • Total Communication (a combination of the oral method plus sign language, fingerspelling and cued speech)


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