Partially Sighted and 11+

Advice on Special Needs and the 11 Plus Exams

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Partially Sighted and 11+

Post by southbucks3 »

Unfortunately the enlarging option is bigger paper rather than bigger font, in bucks anyway, the a3 paper is huge, clumsy and has to be manipulated up and down the desk by the child in order to reach the top, my son refused to use it as he felt embarrassed too and would have had to sit alone on a desk or in a separate room as the answer sheet and question sheet side by side took up so much space! I voiced my dissatisfaction at this useless system a few years ago, both when we were requesting visual aid permission for tracking rulers and overlays, and later during an appeal (we won).

Anything requested must, as people have said, be the normal situation for children in the classroom. So if they are not given extra time or enlarged papers in class tests then they won't for 11+ (he was given enlarged font for text work) For sats rest breaks were offered for children who get tired eyes, this helped my son far more than extra time would have done as he could completely shut down for fifteen minutes...his eyes literally went red and watered with the strain of reading. The cem test does not have huge amounts of text reading but the separate answer sheet does cause huge problems for children with wobbly eyes, a sad side effect of cost cutting paper marking devices.
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Partially Sighted and 11+

Post by doodles »

sB3 I'm sure you have them but there are some fantastic magnifying rulers available now that look just like normal rulers but have a magnifying strip down the middle with a yellow following line, fit in the pencil case and nobody knows! Also just purchased a great magnifying overlay that is literally the size of a credit card so it slips in the wallet, brilliant for out and about, menus, bus timetables etc etc. and thank god for the iPad larger font/pictures at the push of a finger!

VI really is one of the situations where until you've seen the struggle and frustration a child experiences it is very hard to comprehend how much of a difference relatively small adjustments can make.

Sorry for rattling on, just something I feel passionately about :?
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Partially Sighted and 11+

Post by southbucks3 »

Me too doodles.

Yes we had that ruler. :D

Thankfully his eyes are nearly fixed, they would be even better if he did his exercises. Grrrrrr!

I will continue to make my opinions known to bucks county council about the discrimination presented to children with even minor tracking issues when faced with a separate answer sheet with a high volume of answer slots too. As eye muscles continue to develop beyond the age of ten, you could also argue the summer baby discrimination in some cases. The difference in tracking speed need only be minor, undetected in normal class work, to effectively delay a child enough to lose vital marks or panic them into losing their place entirely. Not a component of the test therefore of intelligence, but of physical ability and physical maturity.
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Partially Sighted and 11+

Post by doodles »

Glad to hear you and yours are getting fixed SB, that's great news.

For those who aren't "fixable" I'd say don't give up, keep banging on and getting a good optician or consultant onside is invaluable.
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Partially Sighted and 11+

Post by southbucks3 »

doodles wrote:Glad to hear you and yours are getting fixed SB, that's great news.

For those who aren't "fixable" I'd say don't give up, keep banging on and getting a good optician or consultant onside is invaluable.
Completely agree, he still needs glasses for astigmatism and far sight, but finding an amazing paediatric optometrist after 18 months of grief was a huge relief when he had other issues.
Post Reply