How to Adapt Your Home for Your Blind or Visually Impaired Child

Co-authored by Luxme Hariharan, MD, MPH

Last Updated: November 27, 2022 References

Many parents and guardians of blind or visually impaired children are worried about the safety and ability for their child to roam around and do daily life tasks. You can help your child by adapting your house to suit your child's visual disability, making it possible for them to do some independent tasks and move around the house safely.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Luxme Hariharan, MD, MPH
Board Certified Ophthalmologist

Expert Interview. 17 August 2021.}

Part 1

Part 1 of 6:

Controlling Light

Controlling the amount of light in your house is important for your child or visually impaired child. It's important to note, however, that too much light is not always a good thing. For some children with albinism, aniridia, or other conditions that cause photophobia, too much light can cause problems.^{[2]
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Research source} Here are some methods about lighting to consider for your child.

Children with low vision usually prefer natural light rather than artificial light because it's easier on the eyes.^{[3]
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Research source} You may need to install more windows around the house or get more adjustable window coverings. Opaque or glare-reducing shades can be lowered from the top or raised from the bottom. Blinds or shutters can also work as well, it allows you to control how much light comes into a room. ^{[4]
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Place goose-neck lamps around places where your child does activities. Whether it's on their desk, in their reading area, where they sew, or the place where they use the computer, place a goose-neck lamp next to their workspace, so you can increase light and make it much easier for them to see when doing a certain task.^{[5]
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- Many companies provide lighter light bulbs, which create natural daylight, and can be very helpful with your child's visual disability who needs light in their work areas.
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3
Place special lighting over the staircase. If you have a staircase, placing lighting over it such as strip lights^{[6]
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- Place lighting over the places on the staircase where accidents are more likely to occur.^{[8]
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- Avoid using extremely bright lights, as this can actually be even harder to see and will do more harm than good for your child's eyes, especially children with albinism, aniridia, or other conditions that cause photophobia.^{[9]
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Consider using fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting may be helpful for a child with low vision. Fluorescent lighting disperses its light evenly over a wide area. It produces fewer glare spots because of its even lighting. The light also remains cool, even at very close distances.^{[11]
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- The problem with fluorescent lighting is that it can flicker at some points, increasing eye strain over time. It could also increase glare for those with cataracts or corneal problems.^{[12]
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Consider using incandescent lighting. Incandescent lighting is yellow and provides more direct light. It's usually best for close work, such as sewing or reading. This type of light is easy to tolerate for your child, however, might not bright enough for some.^{[14]
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- Incandescent light can become hot and overheat after prolonged use or with higher wattage.^{[15]
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Try halogen lighting. Halogen lighting is best used in lamps in very specific areas that focus light. It can enhance contrast between print and background for some. The light is extremely bright, is very intense, and white. A lot more of the energy is efficient than the incandescent lighting.^{[16]
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- Halogen lighting can be extremely bright for a child, even causing glare for some. It should not be for a long, prolonged use because it can generate a lot of heat.^{[17]
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Ensure your child can easily reach light switches from doorways and from their bed without your support.^{[18]
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Research source} You may need to move certain light switches around to make it easier to reach, and easier to switch on and off. Consider installing light switches and picking out lamps that allow you to change the brightness settings, so your child pick the setting that suits them best.^{[19]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 6:

Eliminating Hazards

Eliminating hazards prevents your child from getting hurt when roaming around the house, and makes it easy for them to do daily life tasks.

1
Clean up spills right away. Accidents and spills happen, but they should not be left alone. If you or your child spill a liquid on the floor, it should immediately be cleaned up. It can be extremely dangerous leaving the spill there with your child's visual disability, possibly making them trip and fall down.^{[20]
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- Teach your child how to clean up spills independently in case you are not around. If a spill left alone, your child can forget it's there and possibly hurt themselves. ^{[21]
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- If you live with multiple family members remind them to always clean up if they have caused a spill for your child's own safety.
2
Child-proof your storage areas. For younger children with low vision, consider locking the your storage areas such as the cabinets, drawers, or closets with safety springs or latches.^{[22]
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Research source} These storage areas can be slammed and shut easily, causing serious injury to your child's fingers. It's also incredibly important to close these cabinets if they contain dangerous products like cleaning supplies, chemicals, sharp materials, or tiny objects.^{[23]
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Research source} Keeping it locked will prevent your child from getting seriously hurt.
- Consider using magnetic cabinet locks or cord cabinet locks to child-proof your cabinets. They're simple to attach on and are good at child-proofing your storage areas.^{[24]
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3
Keep the house clean and organized. Ensure the house is always clean. After you or your child have done a task (e.g. cooking, woodwork, sewing, etc.) always pick up after yourself and store the materials in a proper place for later. Trash should be picked up and thrown away. If there are certain objects in walkways that must remain there, place railings around the house so your child can identity where they are.^{[25]
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- After your child is done playing with their toys, encourage them to clean up after themselves and to store the toys for later use, such as in a toy box or toy chest.^{[26]
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Couches, chairs, tables, beds, drawers, cupboards, and house decorations should all be stable. The furniture should not wobble or move around if touched. The furniture should also be in good condition, especially if it's used frequently by your child.^{[27]
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Research source} Avoid choosing furniture that has tears, holes, or rips as this can be choking hazard for younger children.
If you have small rugs around the house, secure the edges to prevent the rug from moving and harming your child.^{[28]
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Research source} Tape the rug edges are with duct tape so the rug doesn't move around if stepped on. Place multiple layers of duct tape on the rug to thoroughly secure it.^{[29]
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6
Keep electrical outlets covered. For younger children with low vision, it's important to cover electrical outlets such as power outlets, extension leads, phone chargers, computer cables, etc.^{[30]
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Research source} These areas can cause extreme harm to your child if they're used incorrectly. Use electrical outlet caps cover the outlets, preventing your child from using them.^{[31]
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- You can also electrical outlet covers if you'd prefer not to use regular outlet caps. These are easy to install and fit standard outlets.^{[32]
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Fix any house hazards. The floor, windows, countertops, gutters, roof, cupboards, drawers, pipes, and carpet should all be in check. There should be no cracks, holes, or loose placements in your house as this can cause an accident. Make sure everything is in check daily to ensure that there isn't something that could leave your child getting hurt.^{[33]
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Research source} Examples include:
- Broken railing
- Cracked floor
- Loose carpet
- A leak in the ceiling
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Part 3

Part 3 of 6:

Reducing Glare

Glare is caused by sunlight or light from a lamp and can make it difficult for a blind or visually impaired child to see physically. Here are some methods to reduce glare in your house.

Instead of regular blinds, use mini blinds to place on the windows. Mini blinds are a highly recommended window covering, because they can be altered during the day to eliminate glare.^{[34]
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If you own a television, you can make it easier for your child to see by turning the screen away from the sun or a lamp, so the light source is behind the screen and not straight at it. This will prevent glare from producing.^{[35]
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If you own shiny tabletops or countertops, you can cover them with tablecloth to avoid glare from forming when light hits it. Avoid using plastic tablecloths as these can form glare as well. Use cloth material to avoid glare from producing at all, making it easier for your child to see.^{[36]
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When polishing the floors, avoid using wax as this causes glare and can be hazardous to walk on for your child. Instead of using wax, use a flat finish to avoid the glare from appearing. Flat finish does not reflect light and will not allow glare to appear.
Instead of flat paints, matte paints are shiny and reflect light in a mirror-like direction, causing it not to provide glare. This can be useful to avoid glare from forming onto the walls for your child.^{[37]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 6:

Creating Color Contrasts

A color contrast is the difference between two colors and makes it easy for blind and visually impaired children to see. Consider placing different color contrasts around the house to help your child.

1
Choose your child's color preference. Your child may prefer a certain color that they find easiest to see and the color they like.^{[39]
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Research source} For example, your child might prefer the color red or yellow. If they do have a specific color they like, use it to call attention for items that belong to them. Your child could own a toothbrush and cup for themselves that matches their preferred color, so they know and understand it belongs to them.
- You can also use your child's preferred color to help them keep their room organized. Use different colored boxes or baskets for storing their toys.^{[40]
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Avoid having too many checker-designs, swirly-line shaped patterns, and markings all over the house. This not only makes it physically difficult to see for your child, but can also make it even harder to safely move around the house. Avoid floors that have checkered patterns; stick to basic wood floors or floors that are smooth.
This makes things much easier to spot for your child. For example, you can place a black switch-plate on a white wall, or a beige chair against a dark wood wall.^{[41]
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Research source} Color contrasting makes it easier to spot the object you need or are working with. Consider using this method in their bedroom, the bathroom, areas where they do activities and play, etc.
It may seem quite odd, but letting each room have a color scheme makes it easy to identity so your child can know which room they're in. Your child may want the bedroom red, but then the living room green. If you have multiple bathrooms, consider having one bathroom to resemble a blue color scheme, letting another bathroom be brown. Color schemes not only make it easier to figure out the room you're in, but also make it safer for your child.
To help your child see doors and windows with ease, buy brightly colored glass so they are able to see more clearly. Consider getting turquoise, red, dark orange, or purple glass so they can identify where the glass doors and windows are, which can be helpful if they need to open it independently.
To help identify where the doors are for your child and help them open them with ease, paint the door frames a different color than the door. If the door is black consider painting the door frame white. If the door is red, paint the door frame yellow. The color contrast make it much safer to open and close doors for your child.^{[42]
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Part 5

Part 5 of 6:

Organization

Keeping your home organized, clean, and tidy will make it a lot safer for your child to roam around and do daily life tasks.

1
Find certain tools that can help you organize and label. Pick out tools and materials that make organizing and labeling easier for you. You may want to consider getting:
- White 3 x 5 inch index cards
- Jumbo colored paper clips
- Colored adhesive labels
- Colored electrical or plastic tape
- Wide-tip markers
- Flair felt-tip pens
- Laundry markers
- Velcro
- Braille cards or magnets, if your child can read braille
- Tactile marks
- Foam alphabet letters
- Self-stick magnetic tape
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Clearly label materials. On plain white 3 x 5 inch index cards, write the name of the household supply using a black wide-tip marker, a laundry marker, or a felt-tip pen so the letters can come out big and bold. Stick the labels by placing the label on the supply and wrapping it with a rubber band.^{[43]
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Research source} That way your child can identity certain materials that need to be seen. If your child is completely blind or has lost most of their sight you can help your child by:^{[44]
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- Tie different-textured ribbons around the opening of a container.
- Place a different number of rubber bands around each container that's different.
- Transfer items to different shaped types of containers.
Try labeling items or objects using a braille labeler, if your child can read braille. You can also label items using a tactile marker or 3D pen. If your child is completely blind or has low vision, have your child use their sense of touch to organize and label by sticking Velcro, self-stick tape, or foam alphabet letter on the boxes to identity which box is which.
4
Keep shelves, closets, and storage places organized. Keeping storage areas organized and tidy makes it easy for your child to get items independently. For example, on a bookshelf, you may want the first shelf to have all the books and the second shelf for all the magazines. Storing items this way makes it less complicated for your child to search for the things you need ahead of time. Examples include:
- The top shelf in a closet having all the blankets, the second shelf having all their shoes.
- One box storing all their comics, the second box storing all their novels.
- One drawer storing all their colored socks, another drawer with all their white socks.
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Part 6

Part 6 of 6:

Encouraging Texture and Touch

Your child can recognize what belongs to them by using their sense of texture and touch, making it easy for them to recognize what belongs to them and where they need to go.^{[45]
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1
Consider the use of handrails. For very young children and children with additional disabilities, install rails and handles around the house that are easy to grip and grasp. It may help to install them in rooms where your child spends most of their time in such as their bedroom, the playroom, the bathroom, and even the kitchen. Ensure the walkways are clear so your child can walk safely when they use the rails or handles.
- Ideally, handrails should extend beyond the last step, for safety.
2
Consider placing tactile marks around the house, particularly for toddlers and young children. These could be braille labels that indicate objects that the child is likely to come across frequently as this will promote braille literacy skills.
- A rubber band or other tactile differentiator can also be used to show what is theirs as opposed to the possessions of siblings or others in the household.
- Other tactile symbols can be used to indicate an area where the child should take caution. Examples include:
- The oven
- The hot faucet on a sink
- The stovetop knobs
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Tips

Keep all closet and room doors shut, especially if the room or closet contains dangerous objects and is not adapted for your blind or visually impaired child.^{[46]
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Ask your child's visual therapist or eye doctor for different aids, gadgets, and methods which can help them to live more safely and independently.^{[47]
X
Expert Source

Luxme Hariharan, MD, MPH
Board Certified Ophthalmologist

Expert Interview. 17 August 2021.}

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Remind all family members, guests, and visitors to push their chairs under the table, to always close and open doors fully, and to pick up after themselves.

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Warnings

If there are small throw rugs as in the house, make sure that the child knows where they are located.

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Always keep floor lamps and small items (e.g. magazine racks, low tables, plants, vases, etc.) out of walkways to prevent the child from tripping.

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Ensure the lighting level is consistent throughout the house so shadows and other dangerous bright spots are eliminated and removed. You may want to consider installing rheostats, which is used to control current. It's able to control the resistance in a circuit without any interruption.

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