Written by: Rachel Bennett with contributions from Haley Oliver, Matt Tietjen, and Nai
Original article published in its entirety on the Perkins CVINow website.
For students with CVI, the primary goal of writing accommodations is efficiency and comfortable access to communication and expression. Writing is a cognitively and physically demanding task that requires visual processing, motor planning, posture, memory, and attention to work together at once. When supports and accommodations reduce visual and motor load, students can focus their energy on expressing ideas rather than managing the act of writing.
8 areas of support
- Start with the whole student
- Build automaticity to support efficiency and comfort
- Designing writing supports across modalities
- Auditory (hearing, sound)
- Kinesthetic (movement-based learning)
- Digital
- Tactual (touch)
- Visual
Keep the big picture in mind
The goal is always access to learning. Writing is one form of communication, not the only one. Haley Oliver, OT at Perkins, shares that we need to be aware of when the physical act of writing can become a barrier to learning: “We want to be sure that we’re frequently checking in with the bigger picture and making sure we’re not pushing handwriting just for the sake of pushing handwriting.” Oliver emphasizes that for those students who are learning handwriting skills, we should never underestimate their ability to acquire the skill, but we must also introduce keyboarding and assistive technology early and often. Supports should be selected with long-term access, independence, and well-being in mind. When writing and expression is comfortable and efficient, students with CVI are better able to engage with content, express their ideas, and participate fully in learning.
