FTCE Visually Impaired key terms

The sharpness or clarity of vision measured at a standard distance, usually reported as a fraction such as 20/70, meaning the student sees at 20 feet what a typical viewer sees at 70 feet.

The total area a person can see without moving the eyes or head, including central and peripheral regions; a restricted field can limit mobility and reading even when central acuity is normal.

A legal classification, not an educational one, defined in the United States as central acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

A structured observation of how a student actually uses remaining vision across settings, lighting, and tasks, producing recommendations for materials, seating, and instructional accommodations rather than a medical diagnosis.

A systematic process for gathering data on a student's sensory channels and literacy tools to determine the appropriate primary learning medium, such as braille, print, print with optical devices, or a combination.

The set of disability-specific skills students with visual impairments need beyond the general academic curriculum, including braille, orientation and mobility, independent living, social skills, career education, assistive technology, self-determination, and sensory efficiency.

Instruction in understanding one's position and surroundings and moving safely and efficiently, using techniques such as cane travel, protective techniques, and route planning taught by a certified O&M specialist.

A lightweight mobility tool swept in an arc ahead of the traveler to detect obstacles and drop-offs and to signal the user's presence to others; its length and tip style are matched to the traveler.

Everyday self-care and household competencies such as dressing, grooming, food preparation, money management, and cleaning, taught with adapted techniques and real materials so students can function autonomously.

A tactile writing system in which raised dots arranged in a rectangular six-dot cell represent letters, punctuation, contractions, and formatting, read by touch from left to right along a line.

Braille that uses short forms and single-cell signs to represent common words and letter groups, reducing bulk and increasing reading speed; uncontracted braille spells every word out in full.

A specialized braille code for mathematics and science notation that represents numerals, operations, symbols, and spatial arrangements so equations can be read and written accurately by touch.

The collection of tactile, motor, language, and concept skills a student needs before formal braille instruction, including finger sensitivity, light touch, tracking a line, and understanding that symbols carry meaning.

A student who acquires information primarily through touch and other nonvisual senses, requiring real objects, raised-line materials, and hands-on exploration rather than visual demonstration.

Raised-line drawings, maps, diagrams, and graphs that convey spatial and visual information through touch, requiring simplified design, clear labels in braille, and guided exploration to be meaningful.

Optical and nonoptical tools such as magnifiers, monoculars, telescopes, filters, and lamps that help students use remaining vision more effectively for near, distance, or intermediate tasks.

Any device or service that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of a student with a visual impairment, including screen readers, braille displays, magnification software, and accessible notetakers.

Software that converts on-screen text and interface elements into synthesized speech or braille output, letting a student navigate documents, websites, and applications without seeing the display.

A device with rows of pins that rise and fall to present braille output from a computer or notetaker, allowing a student to read digital text by touch and often to navigate with braille controls.

Alternate-format versions of textbooks and other content, such as braille, large print, audio, or digital text, produced in a timely manner so students with visual impairments can access the general curriculum.

A specially credentialed educator who assesses sensory needs, teaches the expanded core curriculum, adapts materials, and consults with general education staff and families on behalf of students with visual impairments.

A teacher of students with visual impairments who travels among multiple schools and districts to deliver direct instruction and consultation, requiring careful scheduling and coordination with site staff.

A legally required written plan for a student receiving special education that documents present levels, measurable goals, services, accommodations, and placement, developed by a team that includes the family.

The team decision, based on comprehensive evaluation data, that a student meets criteria for visual impairment services and requires specially designed instruction rather than accommodations alone.

Coordinated preparation for life after school, beginning by age sixteen in federal law, covering postsecondary education, employment, independent living, and self-advocacy goals written into the IEP.

The skills and attitudes that let a student set goals, make choices, solve problems, and advocate for needed accommodations, developed through practice and increasing responsibility for decisions.

Intentional partnership with caregivers that respects their knowledge of the child, shares information in accessible formats, and builds shared expectations for learning at home and school.

Ongoing teamwork among teachers, related service providers, families, and paraprofessionals to plan instruction, share strategies, and monitor student progress so support is consistent across settings.

A support staff member who carries out instructional and daily living tasks under professional supervision, requiring clear training and direction from the teacher of students with visual impairments.

A condition in premature infants in which abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina and may detach it, causing vision loss ranging from mild myopia to total blindness depending on severity and treatment.

Vision loss caused by damage to the brain's visual pathways rather than the eyes, often showing inconsistent visual responses, difficulty with crowded scenes, and better use of vision in familiar contexts.

Instruction in using vision, hearing, touch, smell, and movement purposefully to gather information, including visual efficiency routines, listening skills, and systematic tactile exploration strategies.

Building accurate understandings of objects, actions, and relationships through direct, hands-on experience, since students who cannot see incidentally need explicit teaching of ideas sighted peers absorb visually.

Teaching nonverbal communication, turn taking, body orientation, and peer interaction explicitly, because visual impairment can limit access to incidental social learning and feedback from others.

The principle that students with visual impairments receive curriculum content and materials at the same time and of the same quality as peers, rather than simplified or delayed versions.