Experiential learning for visually impaired children
Suzie Mahon
Suzie teaches foundational skills to visually impaired students, with methods that differ significantly from those used for sighted children. She explains that blindness is a spectrum. Because visually impaired students miss out on incidental learning—like recognising a bruised apple by sight—they often face challenges in developing independence. Suzie advocates for explicit, experiential teaching of concepts such as size and function to build a strong foundation for literacy. By providing hands-on experiences and understanding, educators can help visually impaired students gain meaningful skills and motivation for learning.
Listen to Suzie
“All things that people know by seeing not by doing we have to give [visually impaired] kids the experiences too, and then from there we can learn the literacy piece because it will then be more meaningful and motivating.”
Suzie Mahon
Suzie Mahon
Suzie Mahon is a teacher of students with visual impairments in North America. She supports the development of cognition, literacy, self-care, self-advocacy, accessibility, and technology instruction for students with blindness and low vision.
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