VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 1
introduce yourself each time you work with your student— "Hi Jack, it's Sally"—
so that the student doesn't have to try to guess who is approaching them.
Most with CVI have strategies and workarounds for every moment of their
day and can become adept at discovering and using compensatory strategies to
access their world. Some examples of compensatory strategies include: using
memory, context, predictability, verbal cues, auditory cues, tactile cues, smell, and
color coding. A student's compensatory strategies must be assessed and identified
to empower the student with the ability to access their learning and environment at
all times, no matter if they can rely on their vision or not. Tools, resources, and
materials that match student's compensatory skill use should be fostered and part
of an individualized multisensory approach to learning.
Each individual with CVI is impacted in different ways, which means their
ability to use their vision can vary, and how much they rely on compensatory
strategies, as well as which strategies they rely on, can be unique. Each student
should be supported by the specific strategies they need to allow access to their
educational learning.
