PSHE at KS1 and visual impairment

The challenges

The impact of a visual impairment on learning is similar across subject areas.  Begin by reading the information on challenges faced by visually impaired children across the curriculum and at all levels, plus the suggestions for inclusion. For PSHE we concentrate on children with some vision.

Suggestions

You can:

• Support social interaction with discussions on a topic that the pupil can contribute to, making sure the visually impaired child is not left out.
• When discussing emotions, it is helpful to talk about how the body might feel and how the voice might change rather than about facial expression. 
• Refer back to personal experiences to help reinforce abstract concepts. For example when the child is trying to do something difficult (ask them to think of an example) and it’s not going well, how do they feel? 
• Provide tactile and auditory resources, being specific about what they represent. For example soft material may help them feel relaxed, whereas rough, textured material may make them feel irritated.
• Use different tones of voice (acting out basic emotions) and see if the child can work out what you are feeling from your tone of voice. This could be tried as one to one with the child or as a group.