Tools+for+Students+with+Visual+Impairments

=Introduction to Students with a Visual Impairment= ====It may at first seem incompatible: students with visual impairments and the visual arts? We imagine walking through an art museum, the painting or sculptures untouchable and only experienced through sight. Some might ask, how can a person with a visual impairments appreciate the colors, lines, and shapes in artwork? Surprisingly, visual impairments do not prohibit a person from exploring or making artwork. And although the tools or supplies may look different, art is an area in which students with visual impairments can thrive creatively.==== ====Visual impairments also vary greatly in degree, so be sure to reference the I.E.P, the family, the specialists, and the student when trying to understand what your students can and cannot see.==== = = =Considerations:= ====Although students with visual impairments may not be able to see artwork, they most certainly can feel it. Tactile materials and sculpture can be accessible and exciting for students. Don't be afraid to get out the glue and feathers or modelling clay. Three Dimensional art is where these students shine!====

//3. Seat your student with a visual impairment in a convenient seat- close to the teacher to hear everything or at a larger table to accommodate more tools.//
====//4. Include your student in every project! even though he or she might use clay when others draw, remember they are working on the same project- only modified. They should work in groups when others do and demonstrate the same understanding of vocabulary or process.//====

//5. Your student knows their own abilities! Ask them questions about seating, materials, and preferences.//
= = =Tools and Technologies= ====Many of the tools and technologies useful in art for students with visual impairments are low- tech. Maybe even materials you already use for something else. The tools below offer an artistic experience that can be experienced through the scenses of touch, smell, and even taste!==== = =

__[|Modelling Clay][[image:http://www.artforselfdiscovery.com/images/clay_child9.jpg align="left"]]__
====Reusable modeling clay is an inexpensive alternative to many projects- and students with visual impairments can feel the sculpture and is ti formed, use tools to add textures, and work for multiple class periods without the clay drying out.====

===[|__Squeeze Brushes__]=== ====These paint brushes actually contain paint in the handle. As the child squeezes the handle, paint is pushed out of the brush. These can be especially useful if textures are added so the painting can later be felt as well as seen.====

[[image:http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/1e/76/784872a548b29bf075183b03d7f6.jpeg width="282" height="209" align="right"]]
===[|__Foam__]===

[|__Scented Markers__]
The smell can guide choices or changes in color!

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The flavorings linked to below can be added to edible and spreadable foods like whipped cream, frosting, or flour and water mixtures. This can then be smelled and even tasted and applied to a thick surface. Doing a color mixing lesson? Why not have your student with visual impairments mix colored and flavored whipped cream?=====

=Additional Resources:=

__Art for the Blind__
A website that focuses on art for the blind.

http://www.artagogo.com/commentary/artforblind/artforblind.htm
__Beyond Sight: Art for the Blind__ http://www.artbeyondsight.org/sidebar/aboutaeb.shtml

__TIME article__ about an art exhibit by all visually impaired artists http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1899017,00.html