Minneapolis South Campus Supports Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Minneapolis Adult Education has been the designated site for serving students with vision loss for over fifteen years. Our program strives to provide a welcoming environment, high-quality courses, and accessible learning material to all learners with diverse abilities.

At our site, learners with low vision or blindness are enrolled in mainstream classes within ELL 2 and above program core and focus courses, as well as GED, Adult Diploma, Digital Literacy, and Career Pathway options that meet in-person or online. To accommodate our learners during this challenging immigration enforcement time, we have transitioned instruction to the hyflex option.

Minneapolis Adult Education has one full time Student Support Coordinator who is responsible for providing support to learners with low vision or blindness (B/VI), and their educators. At registration, all prospective B/VI students are connected with our Student Support Coordinator who gathers information about the learner’s educational goals and needs, and together with the learner’s input, creates a customized student needs summary with accommodations and instructional strategies that may better support student’s learning.

Our B/VI learners have access to adapted learning material and adaptive devices, including uncontracted and contracted braille embossed on site, tactile graphics, enlarged print, 3D models, audio recordings, and electronic documents for screen readers. Adaptive devices and technology such as CCTV/dome magnifiers, talking calculators, large print keyboards, braille index printer and manipulatives are supplied by MN ABE Physical and Nonapparent Disability Assistance (PANDA).

Many learners with low vision or blindness benefit from classroom and test accommodations. Modified testing conditions include extended test times, breaks, preferential seating, flexible test dates, and small group or private testing. To accommodate B/Vi learners in the classroom, our educators provide explicit and systematic instruction with real-life examples, description of all images and verbalizing information as it is written or projected on the board. We also utilize volunteers to provide extra support by serving as readers, scribes, audio recorders, and one-on-one tutors in or outside of the classroom.

To assure an accessible and supportive environment for each learner with unique abilities, Minneapolis Adult Education teaching instructors follow the principles of inclusive instruction, often utilizing resources available through PANDA’s website. As a program, we aspire to provide opportunities for all learners to gain skills they need for their academic growth, career, and life.