Blindness and Low Vision
Blindness is commonly referred to as a severe visual impairment with residual vision. Various terms have been developed to describe the disability, including legal blindness, low vision, and total blindness. In North America, legal blindness is defined as a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best correction possible. In other words, an individual who is legally blind would have to stand 20 feet from an object to see it with the same degree of clarity as an individual who has no vision loss could from 200 feet. Low vision is defined as a visual acuity ranging from 20/70 to 20/200. Total blindness is defined as the lack of light perception and form and is clinically recorded as “no light perception” or NLP.

Functional limitations vary from individual to individual and are unique in nature and intensity. Some common limitations include poor visual acuity, involuntary eye movement, intolerance to light or glare, eye fatigue, slow reading speed, difficulty walking in unfamiliar areas, and an inability to write legibly.

General services available for students with blindness or low vision
Accommodations vary, are based upon documentation and are determined on an individual basis. In the past, students have been eligible for some of the following accommodations: