Tips to Support Blind Students in Spanish Class

Have you ever had a student who is visually impaired or blind in your Spanish classroom? If you get an IEP or an email with a “head’s up” before a new semester, it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Today I wanted to share with you some tips for how you can support blind students in Spanish class.

What It’s Really Like to Support Blind Students in Spanish Class

If you’ve ever opened an email before a new semester and seen that you’ll be working with a blind or visually impaired student… yeah, your heart probably skipped a beat. Not because you don’t care (you totally do), but because you want to do it right, and maybe you’ve never done it before.

First off, take a breath. You do not need to reinvent your whole class. There are some easy adjustments you can make to support blind students in Spanish class without tossing everything out the window.

Start by talking to the student. Seriously, they usually know what works best for them. Then ask your admin if there’s a teacher for the visually impaired in your district. That person can help you figure out what tech your student uses, whether things need to be in Braille, and what needs to be handed in early to get prepped.

This is a common question that comes up in several of the Facebook groups I’m in, so I thought it might be helpful to compile the responses and tips shared in these Spanish teacher Facebook groups. Check out the tips and experiences shared!

Tips to Support Blind Students in Spanish Class

• First and foremost: find out what resources your school has to support you. They should have someone in charge of their file, and ideally the district has a teacher for the visually impaired on staff so they can help you!
• If age appropriate, talk to the student and find out their personal preferences for how they would like things shifted for them in Spanish class – some activities might need a significant shift (like Partner Matamoscas) or they might be just fine being the “caller” for that activity! That will depend on the student.
• Make sure you figure out tech requirements. Often visually impaired students will use a screen reader, but not every document will work with one. Talk to your tech person to find out how everything works!
• Along those lines, if your materials will need to be put into Braille for the students, there will likely be a turn around time. Many teachers mentioned needed to submit materials 1-2 weeks in advance to get them transcripted in time.
• If you use word walls or posters to support your Spanish students, make sure all students have access. This might look like printing a mini version for them to refer to, or creating another format.
• Be sure to narrate what you’re doing as you do it. Make sure you don’t say, “Look at this!” Instead, describe what you’re showing. For example, “This is a picture of a market in the city of Oaxaca.”
• Similarly, if you’re playing a game with physical movement and they need to go from one side of the room to the other, or the different corners represent different things, make sure you don’t just say “here” or “there”, or even just point. Describe what you are gesturing towards.
• If you rely heavily on a Spanish textbook, ask to see if you can get a Braille version of it for the student.

Key Takeaways:

One of the points that was repeated over and over was to communicate with the student! Make sure they know you’re doing your best to support them and that you want them to be successful. Also be clear if you are open to feedback on the strategies you’re trying. What is working for them? What isn’t?

Small Tweaks, Big Difference

Instead of saying “look at this picture,” try describing it out loud. If you’ve got a vocab wall or anchor charts, find a way to give the student access. Maybe you print them smaller or make a tactile version. And for games that involve running around? Make them the scorekeeper or the one calling answers.

Just keep the conversation open. Ask what’s working. Ask what’s not. Supporting blind students in Spanish class doesn’t mean making it perfect, it means showing up, listening, and adjusting as you go.

Additional Tips to Support Blind Students in Spanish Class

Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, these are all tips I found shared in various forums. If you have anything to add, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment in the space below this post.

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