“Clifford’s Family” adapted for children with CVI with red image on black background and stuffed dog.

Accessible Materials

Guidelines for modifying books for children with CVI

Before selecting literacy materials for children with CVI, it’s important to begin with an assessment.  Children with different levels of visual functioning will need different materials. Do you know how to modify or create the most appropriate materials for a particular child with CVI? What are the major factors to consider?

Children with CVI and Motoric Challenges

What about students with limited motor control?

Children with CVI may have difficulty with simultaneous looking and touching or reaching towards something. This is a critical skill for everyday functional activities, such as reaching for a spoon or cup. Visually-guided reach is also used for pointing to or tactilely engaging with objects and concrete symbols to communicate. What are some considerations for supporting visually-guided reach?

A child looks away while reaching after first visually regarding a bright blue fidget toy in her right visual field.
A boy highlights words written in red ink with a yellow highlighter

Children learning to read

Tips on using a CVI overlay in a child’s school day

For students in Phase III of the CVI range, an instructional focus is to provide materials that help integrate developing visual skills into functional contexts. Use of overlaps allow modifications centered on the child’s CVI characteristics that can change as the children’s skills evolve. Do you know how to address CVI characteristics for academic students?

What should be in your CVI toolbox?

Itinerant TVIs often have to modify materials quickly on the fly as they move from classroom to classroom, school to school, district to district. Make your life easier by putting together some tools to have on hand!