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Learning Hub launches free seminars for teachers of visually impaired young people
Teachers and support staff across Scotland are being invited to experience what it is like to be a visually impaired student by taking part in a day of free seminars and workshops.
Scotland’s largest visual impairment charity, Royal Blind, is holding the three seminar days in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, through their Learning Hub service for education professionals, which provides teacher training, educational resources, advice and workshops.
Learning Hub Manager, Sally Paterson, is an expert in teaching blind and partially sighted young people with more than 20 years’ teaching experience. Now she is taking her expertise on tour as she prepares to lead the training days in April and May.
Sally said: “Unless you are visually impaired yourself it can be very difficult to imagine what the learning experience is like for a blind student and the unique difficulties that visually impaired students encounter on a day-to-day basis.
“The aim of the free seminar days is to give teachers and support staff more of an insight into what it is like to be in a classroom for their blind or partially sighted students, and to enable them to teach those students as effectively as possible.
“The content won’t be subject specific, but it will cover a range of topics and example exercises and we will provide advice and resources to help those attending enable students to meet their academic potential.”
The seminar will include presentations on the impact of visual impairment on children and young people, educational challenges that particular conditions bring, and social and emotional issues. Attendees can take part in practical activities including working with magnifiers, large print and Braille, iPads for blind learners, mobility issues and adapting materials.
There are around 40 places on each seminar day. Thanks to generous funding from the RS MacDonald Trust, the Royal Blind Learning Hub is providing the seminars for free.
Sally added: “Often, teachers try their best to accommodate visually impaired students, but their attempts don’t meet the student’s individual needs. A classic example of something teachers often do to try and help their partially sighted student is give them an A4 print-out, enlarged on A3. But this can actually be more problematic because there’s double the area and therefore more space to negotiate.
“There are plenty of very simple ways that classes and materials can be adapted to make sure visually impaired students have the same access to learning as their sighted peer and we want to share this information with as many teachers and support staff across Scotland as possible.”
The dates for the Learning Hub seminar are as follows:
- 26 April at the Garfield Hotel, Stepps, Glasgow
- 28 April at the Braid Hillls Hotel, Edinburgh
- 3 May at the Palace Hotel, Inverness
The events include a buffet lunch.
To book your free place, visit www.royalblind.org/learninghub and click on seminars, telephone 0131 446 3128 or email learninghub@royalblind.org.
Switchboard: 0131 229 1456
Ext: 2017