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Vision impairment

What is a vision impairment?

A vision impairment means that a child or young person has reduced sight that cannot be fully corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Vision impairment can affect children in different ways, depending on their eye condition, how much vision they have, and how their needs change as they grow. Some children have stable vision, while others may experience changes over time.

With the right support in place, children and young people with a vision impairment can access learning, build independence and develop positive self‑esteem.

How vision impairment may affect children and young people

Vision impairment can affect:

Access to books, screens and learning materials
Mobility, independence and confidence
Social interaction and play
Fatigue and concentration
Emotional wellbeing

Difficulties may vary between home, school and the wider community.

Support available from the Vision Team

The Vision Team provides specialist teaching and support for children and young people with a vision impairment from birth to 19 years.

All teachers in the Vision Team have a wide experience of working in mainstream and special schools, and early years settings. They all have the mandatory specialist teaching qualification for children with a vision impairment.

Support and advice is given to children and young people and their families from the time a vision impairment is diagnosed or there is a concern about a child’s vision.

The team works closely with schools, settings, and families to ensure that children and young people with vision impairment are included socially, emotionally and educationally, enabling them to succeed in line with their sighted peers.

The team has good working links and pathways of communication with local and London hospitals.

Pre-school and early years

Support and advice is given to families and early years settings. Children under five are visited at home or at pre-school. Examples of what is offered include:

When a child is first referred due to concerns about their vision, a specialist teacher visits and works with the family at home or in our specially equipped sensory room.
Explanation of the diagnosis of an eye condition.
Advice on play experiences and resources to optimise the development of vision.
Regular sensory sessions in our sensory room at Griffins to promote the development of vision.
Baby and toddler groups to help parents meet other families with similar vision impairments.
Provide access to our VI ELSA (Vision Impairment specialist Emotional Literacy Support Assistant).
Information given about other agencies and support groups.
Support with DLA claims.
Support for ophthalmology appointments.
Working in partnership through the early years with other professionals e.g. portage and health therapist.
Use of specialist assessment and monitoring tools.
Supporting and guiding settings on making Reasonable Adjustments to ensure individual needs are met.
Contributing to education, health and care plan assessments and reviews.
Advice on school entry and phase transfer.

School age support

School aged children and young people are visited at school. Examples of what can be provided include:

Information and general/educational advice given to staff on the impact of vision impairment.
Advice and support for the implementation of strategies to enable optimum access to learning.
Guidance on print size and suitable fonts.
A working partnership with schools on the production and modification of giant print learning materials and books.
Tactile and braille resources provided for individual pupils.
Individual or whole school staff training.
Functional vision assessments of individual pupils.
Advice on modified papers and access arrangements for exams and assessments.
Specialist teaching of braille, touch typing and the use of assistive technology for schools and families including the safe use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Specialist teaching assistant (TA) support for braillists.
Support children and young people to be empowered to advocate for their vision impairment needs.
Gathering pupil voice to inform and plan support needed.
Teaching young people to apply their own strategies to enable access to learning now and for adulthood.
Encouraging independence and positive self-esteem.
Provide access to our VI ELSA (Vision Impairment specialist Emotional Literacy Support Assistant).
Supporting and guiding schools on making Reasonable Adjustments to ensure individual needs are met.
Social events organised by the Vision Team to encourage friendships and to provide an opportunity for parents to meet each other.
Advice about appropriate additional equipment and assistive technology.
Encouraging optimum use of low vision aids, for example magnifiers.
Attend hospital clinics and appointments with families.
Annual reports written for education, health and care plan assessments and reviews.
Advice and support for phase transfer and transition.

Habilitation training

Habilitation training, from a qualified paediatric habilitation specialist is offered as appropriate on an individual basis. Training involves learning skills to enable independent movement from an early age, progressing to independent and confident travel for older teenagers. This may include the teaching of long cane skills. Training is provided in families’ homes, pre-schools, schools and the local environment depending on the needs and age of the child or young person. Training may also include learning independent living skills.

Supporting independence and preparation for adulthood

The Vision Team promotes independence and transition into adulthood by:

Supporting children and young people to develop independent mobility and orientation skills, including safe travel in school and the community.
Providing guidance on career aspirations, work experience, and preparation for employment.
Supporting young people to understand and articulate their access needs in education and the workplace.
Supporting the development of social interaction skills, including confidence in group settings and peer relationships.
Supporting children and young people to understand their vision condition and its impact.
Promoting emotional wellbeing, resilience, and self-confidence.
Promoting self-advocacy skills, helping young people express their needs and choices.
Contribute to EHCP reviews from Year 9 onward, ensuring Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) outcomes are embedded.
Liaising with adult services, social care, and external agencies to ensure continuity of support.

Eligibility for support from the Vision Team

To receive support from the Vision Team, the child or young person must be a Bromley resident or attend a pre-school or school in Bromley.

The National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NATSIP) criteria are used to determine the level of involvement with the child or young person. Depending on assessed need, involvement can range from visits to home or school twice a week to one annual visit.

How to access the service

Referrals are accepted from anyone concerned about a child or young person’s vision e.g. families, schools, health visitors, hospitals, therapists etc. In addition a medical opinion should be sought in the first instance through the family GP or local optometrist. Parental permission is obtained prior to any involvement by the Vision Team.