RNIB supporting blind and partially sighted people

Effective practice guide

Teaching Maths to pupils with vision

impairment
About this guide
This guide explores concepts and techniques for teaching Maths to
pupils who are visually impaired.
It is part of our Teaching National Curriculum Subjects series. At
the end you will find the full series listed, and details of where to
find them.

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Learning
3. Teaching
4. Resources
5. Recording and assessment
6. Further guides

1. Introduction
Maths has the same overall value for visually impaired pupils as it
does for sighted pupils. However, visually impaired pupils will need
to acquire information in lessons which others obtain incidentally in
everyday life through their sight, such as the use of money or
percentages, or the perception of two or three dimensional shapes.
For a visually impaired pupil who cannot see the environment as a
whole, the physical world is made up of a series of items of
knowledge which need to be fitted together like a jigsaw.
Mathematics can play a central role in helping the pupil to
complete the jigsaw and prepare them well for future life.

Registered charity number 226227

2. Learning
Many pupils work slowly in mathematics because of a difficulty in
understanding concepts or manipulating data. A visually impaired
pupil may also work slowly, whatever his or her inherent ability,
because of the physical problems involved in gaining access to the
material.
Sighted pupils often use visual references to make estimates.
Blind and partially sighted pupils need to learn estimation
techniques and may need to use body parts, size of step, time and
speed, and perhaps echo as references for estimating distances.

Example
The little fingernail equals 1 cm; width of thumb equals 1 inch; a
smartie weighs 1 gramme and has a diameter of 1 cm.
Although all pupils need to learn skills of producing and interpreting
graphs and diagrams, the use of the skill is very time-consuming
for a visually impaired pupil, and it may be feasible to reinforce the
skill, once learned, by oral classroom discussion, using a teacher
or a support assistant to describe the content of the graph or
diagram.

3. Teaching
Ensuring background knowledge
It is important to be aware of any assumptions of knowledge
generally and, where possible, to use these situations as
opportunities to fill in gaps in knowledge or experience. This need
not impede the progress of a lesson, as it can benefit all pupils to
clarify, for instance, the number of players in a team, that Vienna is
in Austria, or that 52 playing cards are split into four suits of equal
numbers, two suits being black and two being red.

Visual and spatial concepts in two and threedimensional geometry

Some concepts are intuitive to sighted pupils, but may need to be
taught explicitly to a visually impaired pupil. For instance, sighted
pupils learn to recognise many transformations intuitively to begin
with and only later are they taught the properties of various
transformations. A visually impaired pupil will probably need to be
taught these much earlier so that they can recognise a
transformation.
Most pupils will need to be taught strategies to discover the
visually obvious.
Example
Blind pupils may need to fit a set square into the angle of a
tactile diagram to check whether it is a right angle. Measuring
sticks may be used to compare the lengths of two lines to see if
they are equal.
Geometrical shapes can be related to a pupils experience.
Example
Pages in a book or a swimming pool are all rectangular; plates
are circular, as are CDs.
There are certain principles about three-dimensional drawings
which are difficult for visually impaired pupils to understand. For
instance, a near object can hide a distant object; a near object will
appear larger than a similar object further away; a smaller, nearer
object can appear larger than a larger object further away.
Example
A person can appear to be taller than a house which is in the
background.
It may be better to use a combination of description, a twodimensional diagram and work with the solid shape rather than
using three-dimensional diagrams. For example, when setting an

exercise relating to prisms, it may be more suitable to use a twodimensional diagram of a cross-section, accompanied by a 3D
solid shape. The idea of perspective where lines converge to a
vanishing point may also be difficult to grasp.

Avoiding ambiguity in aural presentation

It is not easy to read clearly questions such as one plus two over
three plus four which could have four different answers. The
teacher must therefore be sure that the meaning is clear by saying,
for example, One plus two, all over three, then add four.

Written exercises
If a pupil reads so slowly that comprehension is a problem, it can
be helpful to record the text onto an MP3 player for the pupil to use
with the print copy. If a pupil writes very slowly it can be more
effective to provide a worksheet with answers to complete. If the
questions are repetitive for the purpose of reinforcement, it may be
preferable for fewer questions to be attempted.

Modifying tasks
If a pupil is really slow at drawing diagrams, it can make better
educational sense to use templates or a graphics facility on a
computer. Similarly, finding information from a table is a slow
process for visually impaired pupils whether they read print or
braille. To save time and frustration, the teacher should consider
reducing the size of the table to be scanned.

Working with graphs

Visually impaired pupils may be placed at a disadvantage in graph
work if efforts are not made to make it fully accessible. For partially
sighted pupils this may entail no more than the use of simplified
graph paper and a reduced expectation of accuracy. In the case of
more severely visually impaired pupils, however, it may be
necessary to teach them alternative techniques involving tactile
skills.
A pupil who has been blind from birth may need individual help to
develop graphical skills. Basic concepts such as horizontal,

vertical, rows, columns, parallel, perpendicular, diagonal,

intersecting, and steeper may have to be taught. Practice may be
required to locate co-ordinates using the two index fingers and to
track lines - particularly those superimposed on a grid.

4. Resources
Producing your own resources
When enlarging tables and diagrams, care must be taken that the
finished product is manageable. Often, reducing the amount of
white space is helpful. Wherever possible use A4 paper, or a split
sheet of A3. As far as possible it is desirable to use a conventional
page layout where the pupil reads systematically from left to right
and top to bottom. If the layout of text is unusual, arrows or
highlighters may be used to assist pupils in finding their way round
the text.
When considering written exercises, the teacher should remember
that some mathematical symbols can be indistinct if not printed
clearly.
Example
The sign may look like a +. Decimal points may need to be
emphasised. Fractions and indices may need to be written
larger than normal.
Some pupils have a limited ability to see colour and contrast, so
anything in bold needs to be emphasised so that it is noticed. For
example, this affects vectors where bold notation is used and also
graph paper where every fifth or tenth line is emphasised. Where
pupils are unable to see a line drawn on dark graph paper, a fainter
or coloured grid may be used, or thicker coloured pens or pencils,
or highlighters may also prove useful but care should be taken
that only colours accessible for each pupil are used.
Paper-folding techniques can provide tactile experiences of
geometry. A simple example is the folding of a rectangle in order to
feel that the opposite sides are equal. Pre-cut shapes will be

needed and they can be made from discarded braille paper which
produces a clear crease.

Buying resources
It is important to be aware of the considerable range of tactile and
enlarged resources that a braillist or large print user will require to
gain meaningful access to a maths lesson. In addition to the
materials used by the whole class, a child with a severe sight
problem will also need extra concrete apparatus to compensate for
diagrams which can illustrate, for example, a spatial concept at a
glance.
You may need to add braille yourself to some of the resources in
order to make them transferable from partially sighted to blind
children, or to ensure they are useful as a whole class resource.
The braille can be added using clear self-adhesive labels.
The list of resources below is by no means comprehensive, but we
hope that it gives you some ideas and helps to make your maths
lessons more interesting and accessible for your blind and partially
sighted pupils.
Information on some of the resources available from RNIB is
included. Our full range of maths products can be viewed in our
Online Shop at rnib.org.uk/shop
Counting, sorting and numeracy
The Primary maths kit (LC102) is designed to encourage the
development of basic maths concepts to young blind and
partially sighted learners, including those with learning
difficulties. The kit comprises 12 curriculum activity packs and
36 activity cards which cover topics such as matching,
geometry, sequencing, and probability.

 Sorting trays and counters - keep an eye out when you go to

the supermarket as some of the trays for pre-prepared
vegetables are ideal as they are divided into sections for Tens
and Units, HTU and even ThHTU (sweetcorn, baby carrot and
mangetout is ideal). Cotton reels and Lego bricks can be used
as sorting counters.
Read a teacher's review of our Cranmer abacus (LC118) and
Slide abacus (LC159). NES Arnold do abacus discs on a loop
that flip over - very good for severely blind and partially sighted
pupils.

100 squares either in enlarged print or overlaid in braille adapt/make your own using velcro strips. Blank tiles to go with
the 100 square and blu-tack or Velcro to attach.
Concrete counting resources such as Multilink and coloured
base ten apparatus - available from NES Arnold.

 Number lines and cards in enlarged print or overlaid in braille - if

possible, obtain number lines and cards that are magnetic as
these are more manageable. Again blank tiles to cover
numbers.
Number fans - an individual number fan for the pupil and a large
print number fan for class teacher. Matt ones are better than
glossy. Flip-chart number lines for single recognition - enlarged
or braille (alternative to number fan for young braille users).
Magnetic place value cards - for building up two and three digit
numbers (hundreds, tens and units overlay each other - these
magnetic versions are larger and easier to use than the card
ones commonly used in class, and they don't slip or slide,
particularly useful on sloping work surfaces!).
Our fun and easy-to-see counting panel (GI36) helps children
learn to count from one to 10, using detachable fabric animal
shapes.
Rulers, tape measures protractors and compasses
We have a range of tactile rulers and protractors and clear print,
tactile and talking tape measures.
NES Arnold do an enlarged print ruler.

Calculators
An appropriate calculator should be chosen for a visually
impaired pupil. Points to consider are:
size of display
contrast of display (Green displays are usually preferred but
are not common.)
clarity of decimal point
contrast and colours on the keypad
labelling on the keypad (pupils can learn this if necessary.)
Various basic talking calculators are also available from shops
as well as from specialist firms. The quality of synthetic speech
varies from model to model so it is important to check that the
pupil can identify the numbers using the headphones. A blind
pupil should be encouraged to operate the calculator with the
non-reading hand leaving the other hand free to read.
View our selection of clear print and talking calculators.
Force Ten offer the Sci plus 200 large display scientific
calculator and Sci plus 300 large display talking scientific
calculator.

Geometry and fractions

Read a teacher's review about our Folding geometric shapes
(LC168) and take a look at our other geometry products.

 Our set of Montessori shapes (LC190) give children the option

of using the plastic shapes and templates for drawing or for
shape recognition and matching activities.
Other products to help teach children about shapes are the
Waggy garden shape sorter (GI57), Shapes feely bag (GI29),
Texture and shape dominoes (GP32), Magnetic shapes (GI23)

Plastic embossing film (LC22/23) (also known as German film)

can be used on a Geometry mat (LC177) and drawn on using
an embossing tool or 'dead' (inkless) ballpoint pen, to create
tactile images.
Food colouring, water and a range of bottles/containers for
showing capacity - use everyday bottles that are clear and in
different sizes.
Fractions
Our set of Magnetic fraction cubes and spheres (LC192) is ideal
for teaching the concept of fractions to blind and partially
sighted students. Use the interchangeable pieces to show the
relationship to a whole cube or sphere. For example, take a
half, add two quarters to create a whole.
Also available are the two-dimensional Fraction squares
(LC185) and Fraction circles (LC186).

 Fractions board (labelled up in braille if necessary) are available

from NES Arnold.

Time
Our Big learning clock (LC138) is lightweight and has raised
black numbers and tactile markings on a white background. The
two hands move independently so that the time before and after
the hour can be shown without the hour hand moving.
While the hands on the Geared learning clock (LC182) cannot
be moved independently of each other and can be used to
demonstrate the relationship of movement between the hour
and the minute hand.
An easy-to-see clock and tactile watch can also be useful, along
with large display digital timers.

Graph paper and exercise books

We have a range of clear print and tactile graph paper and pie
charts.
Alternatively you can make your own using thermoform, Minolta
or a computer system and photocopier. There are several
websites which offer free graph paper templates.
Large squared exercise books are available from Philip and
Tacey.

Other useful resources

Easy-to-see tactile dice (GB91).
Read a carer's review of the Beetle game (GP33).
The Cubarithm (LC65) is ideal for teaching braillists arithmetic
layout. and, unlike paper, allows for easy immediate correction.
Wikki Stix (LC49/50/115/116).
Bumpons are useful for marking points on charts and diagrams.
Talking scales.
A4 whiteboards are available from Synergy Learning Products.
Blu-tack.
Real coins.

Using alternative equipment

A peg board or pin board can be used to teach transformations.
For example, the shape can be made on the board, then the
board physically rotated to its new position. Reflections,
rotations, translations and enlargements can also be done with
cut out shapes, Blu-tack, pins and a graph board. Plastic
embossing film can also be useful as tracing paper if pinned
down for pupils to feel the diagram underneath. They can then
mark answers to questions on the plastic film itself and have a
permanent record of answers. There are also possibilities for
teaching these concepts using braille symbols and the Perkins
Brailler.
Educational catalogues often contain good examples of visually
clear rulers, metre sticks, tape measures and measuring
wheels. RNIB sells a range of tactile implements. One common
problem however, is that measuring instruments move as they
are being used. Some pupils will find it helpful to use Blu-tack or
non-slip pads made from Dycem, or pins to hold instruments in
place. Some pupils find magnification using an electronic
magnifier can help with measuring exercises.
Equipment for drawing circles and other shapes
A range of special compasses which can be used by
pupils to draw circles is available from the RNIB shop.
For shapes other than circles, geometrical templates
enable sketch diagrams to be produced quickly.

Computer software is also available to help visually

impaired pupils produce good quality drawings.
For learning about three dimensional objects, it is essential to
provide visually impaired pupils with the actual solid.
Commercially produced plastic models are usually available in
most mathematics departments, but the faces may need to be
coloured, textured or labelled according to the pupils needs. A
pupil may find it helpful to fit the faces of solids into twodimensional outlines which can be prepared on a tactile
diagram.
For those pupils unable to use the normal 2mm graph paper,
paper marked in larger squares such as centimetre squares is
often appropriate. Grids printed in different colours can be
obtained from RNIB.

5. Recording and assessment

It is important to distinguish between a learning outcome
and the ability to record the result. In many instances, a
visually impaired pupil will be able to engage fully in a
learning activity, using apparatus or oral approaches, but
may find it difficult to produce a permanent record of the
activity. In some instances, it will be appropriate for a
member of support staff to produce a permanent record of
practical work undertaken by pupils. It is the teachers
responsibility to judge whether the recording process is an
end in itself or incidental to the learning task.

Braille code
There is a special braille code for mathematics which you
can find at
http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/readingwriting/br
aille/braille/codes/Pages/specialist_braille.aspx

The teacher needs to be aware that new symbols should

be mastered by the pupil as they become necessary for
course work. Computer transcription of the braille code is
possible and some pupils may choose to record
information on computer, but many will find it easier and
more immediate to use a Perkins Brailler.

Layout of arithmetic in braille

Due to the way in which the Perkins brailler works, and the
way braille is read, the traditional vertical methods of
arithmetic may be inappropriate for a blind pupil to use. A
worksheet requiring answers only to be inserted saves
time and is less frustrating. A Cubarithm (see RNIB shop)
can be used to set sums out in a vertical layout. Pupils
often prefer a linear format but a good knowledge of place
value is needed especially when decimals are involved.
Pupils should be encouraged to make use of whatever
method suits them best and to devise a variety of
strategies.

Extended tolerances
Accurate measurement is not always either possible or
practical for some visually impaired pupils. This fact is
recognised in guidance on access arrangements for tests
and exams and appropriate allowances for individual
pupils can usually be obtained. Where the degree of
accuracy expected of a sighted candidate is plus or minus
0.1cm, braille users should normally be expected to
achieve a degree of accuracy not greater than plus or
minus 0.5 cm. The accuracy achievable by a partially
sighted pupil can range from that achieved by sighted
pupils to that of braille users, and the teacher will have to
advise examination boards as to what is feasible for the
individual pupil. Factors affecting accuracy include the
visual ability to locate points accurately, to see two points
in one glance, to be aware of equipment slipping off
alignment, and to differentiate a gap of 1mm.

In measuring angles, where a sighted child is expected to achieve

accuracy of plus or minus 2 degrees, a braille user is normally
expected to achieve a level of accuracy not normally greater than
plus or minus 5 degrees, whereas a partially sighted pupil will need
to be assessed by the teacher. Naturally, such allowances do not
apply where accuracy of measurement forms an assessment
objective in its own right.

6. Further guides
The full Teaching National Curriculum Subjects series of guides
includes:
Teaching Maths to pupils with vision impairment
Teaching Science to pupils with vision impairment
Teaching English to pupils with vision impairment
We will be producing guides on other subjects in the near future.
Please contact us if you would like more details about these, as we
will certainly be able to help in some way.
In addition, you may also be interested in the following series of
guides, all of which are relevant to children, young people and
families:

Supporting Early Years Education series

Removing barriers to learning series
Teaching National Curriculum Subjects series
Complex needs series
Further and Higher education series

We also produce a number of stand-alone factsheets, on a range

of topics, which may be of interest, please contact us to find out
what we have available

All these guides can be found in electronic form at

www.rnib.org.uk/guidanceonteaching For print, braille, large print
or audio, please contact the RNIB Children, Young people and
Families (CYPF)Team at cypf@rnib.org.uk or call on 0121 665
4235.

For further information about RNIB

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and its associate
charity Action for Blind People, provide a range of services to
support children with visual impairment, their families and the
professionals who work with them.
RNIB Helpline can refer you to specialists for further advice and
guidance relating to your situation. RNIB Helpline can also help
you by providing information and advice on a range of topics, such
as eye health, the latest products, leisure opportunities, benefits
advice and emotional support.
Call the Helpline team on 0303 123 9999 or email
helpline@rnib.org.uk
If you would like regular information to help your work with children
who have sight problems, why not subscribe to "Insight", RNIB's
magazine for all who live or work with children and young people
with sight problems.

Information Disclaimer
Effective Practice Guides provide general information and ideas for
consideration when working with children who have a visual
impairment (and complex needs). All information provided is from
the personal perspective of the author of each guide and as such,
RNIB will not accept liability for any loss or damage or
inconvenience arising as a consequence of the use of or the
inability to use any information within this guide. Readers who use
this guide and rely on any information do so at their own risk. All
activities should be done with the full knowledge of the medical

condition of the child and with guidance from the QTVI and other
professionals involved with the child. RNIB does not represent or
warrant that the information accessible via the website, including
Effective Practice Guidance are accurate, complete or up to date.
Guide updated: July 2011