Verbal Cueing

Remember the student with a vision impairment will need to be orientated to others in the room and will need lots of verbal cues during discussions.

Suggestions:

• Introduce yourself and anyone else in the room. If you are conducting group counseling, be sure to say the person’s name before continuing the discussion.
• Be descriptive of others in the group to give the student with a vision impairment cues. For example, “Joe, you look angry about Martha’s comment.”
• Be careful with any of your non-verbal indicators. The student with vision impairment may be exquisitely attuned to differences in breathing, shifting in your chair, or general restlessness.
• Do not be overly concerned with the student with vision impairment’s lack of emotional indicators in facial expressions. Without the ability to observe others, these may not be well-developed. Watch body language and especially hand and finger movements for emotional reactions (Murphy & Dillon, 2003).