LS027: Visual impairment - accessible print and diagrams protocol

Implementation steps

1. Confirm access requirements for format, contrast, scale, and device use.
2. Standardise resource preparation with high contrast and uncluttered layout.
3. Provide modified diagrams with clearer labels, thicker lines, and larger scale.
4. Ensure digital resources are zoomable and compatible with assistive software where required.
5. Use in-lesson checks to confirm resources are visible and interpretable.
6. Audit glare, lighting, and visual clutter in the teaching space alongside document-format access.
7. Plan copies of board work or presentations when live copying would block access to explanation.

Classroom routines

• Provide key diagrams before teaching from them so students are not copying at speed.
• Use explicit verbal description of diagram features and positions.
• Avoid as-you-can-see language and state what matters directly.
• Provide alternative representations including tactile diagrams or physical models where needed.
• Finish with a comprehension check tied to diagram meaning, not appearance.
• Verbalise the key visual feature and location rather than relying on pointing only.
• Provide orientation language when room layout or resource layout changes.
• Pause before diagram work so students can locate labels and features in the accessible version.

Adaptation guidance

• Keep layouts stable and avoid busy slide backgrounds.
• Use clear large labels with generous spacing.
• In practical subjects, explain visual cues and equipment access clearly.
• Prepare modified papers and resources before assessments.
• Review visual load proactively in planning.
• Manage glare, reflection, and flicker where possible (for example, blinds, screen brightness, seating angle).
• Use uncluttered pages, clear spacing, and stable layout conventions to reduce visual load.
• Provide alternative copies of board or slide content when distance viewing is a barrier.

Staff language prompts

• Here is the diagram in front of you. Take 20 seconds to locate the labels.
• Tell me what the diagram shows in one sentence.
• Point to the part that supports your answer.
• Which label is most important for this question?
• I am naming the key feature and where it is on your version before we answer the question.
• Use the accessible copy first; you do not need to copy from the board at speed.

Impact checks

• Increased accuracy on diagram-based questions.
• Reduced time lost to missed visual access.
• Improved independence when using modified resources.
• More consistent use of visual evidence in answers.
• Track delays linked to locating information versus understanding it.
• Monitor whether accessible copies of board/slides reduce split-attention errors.