Area 9: Social skills

• Perkins School for the Blind: Five ways to help a child who is blind develop social skills (External) Developing social skills in students who are blind (External). US school hosting a range of resources about teaching students with vision impairment. This page offers some suggestions and activities for helping children who are blind develop social skills.
• Perkins eLearning: Social Skills for Children and Youth with Visual Impairment (External). An eLearning module on teaching social skills to children with vision impairment, from this US school. Aimed at QTVIs. 
• RNIB: How to Make Sure Learners With Vision Impairment are Socially Included (External). Article on making sure learners with vision impairment are socially included. This article focuses on learners with additional needs and gives tips and suggested resources to use.
• RNIB: Inclusive Playground Games all Children can Enjoy (External). RNIB offers practical tips on ensuring the playground is accessible to all children. The article includes information on toys and activities, getting the space right and making sure the space is safe for the child to run around. Published 2016.
• RNIB: Improve the Experience of School Lunch (External). Article discusses how to improve the experience of lunch for a child with vision impairment. The article covers: accessing the menu, what is on the child's plate, from support to independence and 5 ways to make lunch pleasant. Published 2015.
• Wiltshire Sensory Service Eye Believe in You (External). This is a social and emotional intervention programme designed over the last 10 years by the Vision Support Service in Wiltshire and shared with many local authorities; it was featured in VIEW Teach (issue 2 2020). It is be used by an adult (with VI training/knowledge from sensory service) with a child/young person (CYP) in hourly sessions over 6 weeks. It includes: how the eyes work, the CYP’s own eye condition/s, improving self-advocacy, how CYP prefer to be supported, and equipment they use to access learning.  CYP also get to practice difficult questions and how to react in a range of situations. At course end the CYP can make an optional presentation with the help of the course facilitator. It also includes a 3-week transition programme to help CYP moving from Primary to Secondary school. Designed mostly for mainstream settings it has been also used/ adapted for CYP with more complex needs. Wiltshire Sensory Service Eye Believe in You (External) the original version has been adapted for use with a screen reader. This may be useful for adults with a vision impairment (VI) working in schools or for those working with CYP who are SSI/Blind.

See Area 9: Health: Social, Emotional, Mental and Physical Wellbeing homepage to discover downloadable resources shared by the sector