Reasonable Adjustments in Schools

Too often, a child with a vision impairment won’t have the same chances and opportunities as their sighted friends. That’s why, in partnership with the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP), we have produced Reasonable Adjustments in Schools guidance.

This is designed to help teachers, schools and local authorities ensure that the 41,000 children and young people with vision impairment across the UK have access to better support throughout their education.

Reasonable adjustments are changes that can be made in schools to help disabled pupils take part in education on the same basis as other students. The guidance details how and when to put in place reasonable adjustments for children and young people with a vision impairment, and includes a helpful checklist of potential adjustments to consider.

Schools and other settings have a duty to plan adjustments for disabled pupils generally, including in relation to the curriculum, physical environment of the school, and access to information. Where a school places a student with a disability at a disadvantage compared to other students, the school must take reasonable steps to try to overcome that disadvantage. For example, a pupil with a vision impairment who can only read text comfortably in 16pt font or larger will be at a substantial disadvantage if materials are only provided in smaller print.

The guide provides helpful information for anyone working across early years, schools or other educational settings and covers:

• Definitions
• Reasonable Adjustment Duty
• Auxiliary aids and services
• Habilitation support
• A checklist of potential adjustments and support
• Exclusions
• Further resources