Students with Visual Impairments

Title V of the California Code of Regulations defines Visual Impairment as the: Total or Partial loss of sight.

Only a small proportion of people with visual impairments are totally blind. Most are considered "legally blind" with some residual visual abilities. Even with correction, a legally blind person sees 20/200 in the best eye or has a visual field restricted to 10 or fewer degrees.

The major challenge facing the visually impaired student is the overwhelming mass of printed material with which they are confronted-text books, class outlines, syllabi, class schedules, newspapers, tests, etc. The increasing use of films, videotapes and overhead projectors adds to the volume of visual material they must access in some other form.