Submitted by: Janelle Parker, NC Teacher
Rain had been falling since before the first teachers arrived that morning. Then, just as buses and a small number of car riders began arriving, the storm rapidly intensified.
Inside her classroom, the teacher was preparing for the day's first math lesson. On her desk sat the day's math lesson, including one large print copy for a student with low vision.
About ten minutes before the first bell, everything changed. A tornado warning was issued.
The siren sounded. The power went out and the emergency lighting turned on.
Every available staff member was called by walkie-talkie to bus entrances, car rider doors, and interior hallways. There was no time to finish preparing lessons. Everyone's focus shifted to getting students safely inside.
Most students arrived by bus. As buses unloaded, children hurried through blowing rain and onto wet, slippery floors. Instead of following their normal morning routines, students of every grade were directed to the nearest interior hallway. Grade levels mixed together as children quickly filled the hallways while staff continued bringing students inside.
The teacher had been assigned to one of the bus entrances, directing students toward the shelter areas, when she heard a little boy’s voice cry out over the noise around her.
"Wait! I can't see!"
She knew that voice.
She turned toward the other entrance.
Just inside the doorway stood her student with low vision, frozen in place.
Water dripped from his fogged glasses. In the dim emergency lighting, other students brushed against his shoulders as they hurried past. Adults pointed down the hallway and called out directions over the sound of the siren and pounding rain.
Fortunately, everyone was safe that morning.
Later that day, the teacher couldn't stop thinking about the moment she heard her student's voice.
Over the past year, the Teacher for Visually Impaired had taught her how to make changes in materials and processes/procedures so he could be successful in her classroom. She had adjusted classroom materials, changed a few routines, and made accommodations that helped him every day. Many of those changes had made learning easier for other students, too.
But that morning had been different.
She found herself wondering, "If he wasn't with me or the TVI during an emergency, would the staff helping him know what he needed to help keep him safe?"
It is an important question.
Every Student Accesses Safety Differently
Students with visual impairments gather information about their surroundings in different ways. Depending on the student, that may include remaining vision, glasses, low vision devices, a monocular, a long cane, familiar landmarks, consistent lighting, orientation and mobility skills, sound, or verbal information from trusted adults.
No two students use the same combination of tools and skills.
As you prepare for the school year, take time to talk with your Teacher for Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialist about the students they support. Each student's access needs are different, and emergency planning should reflect those individual differences.
Planning should also extend beyond the classroom teacher. Include office staff, specials teachers, cafeteria staff, bus staff, substitutes, paraprofessionals, and anyone else who may assist the student when routines suddenly change. A conversation before school starts can make a meaningful difference later.
Emergencies Do Not Always Happen During Class
During a typical school day, students often know their surroundings and the adults around them.
Emergencies rarely happen at the perfect time.
Students may be arriving at school, changing classes, eating lunch in the cafeteria, visiting the library, attending art or physical education, walking through crowded hallways, using the restroom, or leaving campus at dismissal. During these moments, they may be with adults who know them well, or with staff members who interact with them only occasionally.
Planning for these situations before they happen helps everyone respond with greater confidence.
Access During the Emergency
An emergency changes more than the schedule. It changes the environment.
Emergency lighting may reduce contrast or create glare. Hallways may become crowded with students and staff. Furniture may be moved during a lockdown, creating unexpected obstacles. Wet floors, backpacks, or students sitting on the floor may change familiar travel routes.
Students may also be directed to unfamiliar shelter locations or alternate exits they have never used before. Adults often point or gesture while giving directions.
Thinking through these situations ahead of time helps staff focus on supporting students instead of solving access challenges in the moment.
A Few Strategies to Consider
There is no single strategy that will work for every student with a visual impairment during an emergency. The right approach depends on the student, the setting, and the type of emergency.
Depending on the student and situation, an access plan might include:
- Clear verbal directions that describe where to go rather than relying on pointing or gestures.
- A designated staff member who knows how to provide sighted guide assistance if the student uses it.
- A plan for navigating alternate exits, unfamiliar shelter locations, crowded hallways, or routes that have changed.
- Extra time to orient to a new location or unexpected changes in the environment when it is safe to do so.
- A plan for communicating changes in lighting, obstacles, furniture placement, or other conditions that may affect safe travel.
- Backup plans for times when the Teacher for Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, or another familiar staff member is unavailable.
These are examples, not a checklist for every student. A strategy that works during a fire evacuation may not work during a lockdown or tornado warning. Age, vision, orientation and mobility skills, familiarity with the environment, level of independence, and the type of emergency should all be considered. The student's vision team can help administrators determine which strategies are appropriate and make sure the student understands and practices the plan before an emergency occurs.
Preparing Students Before the Drill
Preparing students also means helping them understand what will happen before routines ever change.
Administrators may want to ask how emergency procedures are being taught and practiced for students with visual impairments. The vision team can help determine what preparation is appropriate for each individual student.
Preparing students includes making sure they understand not only where to go, but how they will safely gather information when familiar routines suddenly change.
Build a Team, Not a Person
Strong planning should never depend on one individual.
The Teacher for Visually Impaired or Orientation and Mobility Specialist may not be in the building when an emergency occurs. Classroom teachers attend meetings. Staff members cover duties throughout the school. Substitutes may be unfamiliar with a student's needs.
Instead, build a team of trusted adults who understand how the student safely gathers information. Include classroom teachers, administrators, office staff, specials teachers, paraprofessionals, transportation staff, and substitutes in the conversation.
Teacher for Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialists often serve multiple schools, and every building has different layouts and emergency procedures. Inviting them to participate in beginning of year planning helps staff identify potential challenges before an emergency occurs.
Providing building maps, emergency procedures, and information about where students receive services also helps everyone work from the same plan.
Many access strategies developed for students with visual impairments also benefit other students during stressful situations.
Planning Today Supports Independence Tomorrow
One goal of vision services is helping students become confident and independent.
Preparing for situations where routines suddenly change is part of that process.
When access needs are considered ahead of time, students can focus on following directions instead of trying to figure out what is happening. They gain confidence because the adults around them have planned together.
Students grow and their vision can change. Staff members change. Access needs evolve throughout the year.
The strongest plans grow right along with them.
As your team prepares for the school year, ask one additional question.
Can every student in our building safely access information, directions, and shelter when normal routines suddenly change?
A safety plan is not truly effective until everyone has been considered, and that plan should continue to grow as the needs of students and staff change.
How Equalize Sensory Services Can Help
If your district would like support planning for the safety and access needs of students who are blind or have low vision, Equalize Sensory Services is here to help.