Travel Training Individuals with Low Vision
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Linda Shepard Salzer, a Travel Trainer with MTM, Inc. in Boston, is a longtime member and dedicated supporter of ATI. At the 2025 ATI Conference in Boston, she was honored with the Jack Gorelick Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions and commitment to the field. Linda also delivered a presentation on Tactile Materials for Travel Training, highlighting ways to support independent travel for individuals with vision impairments.
While Travel Trainers traditionally do not work with individuals who have vision impairments, and we rely on certified Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists to provide training in this area, Linda has received specialized training in working with individuals with vision impairments and is uniquely qualified to provide this additional support within her role.
In addition to her professional work, Linda serves on ATI’s Media Committee and oversees the ATI Facebook page, helping to keep members informed and connected. Her dedication to inclusion and empowerment continues to make a meaningful impact on ATI and the communities it serves.
As February comes to a close, we recognize Low Vision Awareness Month and are pleased to spotlight Linda as she shares her expertise and insights with us.
February Marks Low Vision Awareness Month
The National Eye Institute defines low vision as vision that, “even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, results in an individual having difficulty with everyday tasks” (National Eye Institute, NIH, 2017). When working with individuals with low vision, always follow your agency’s or program’s established policies and procedures regarding training individuals with low vision.
A pre-training assessment provides an opportunity to learn about a trainee’s vision. Some individuals with low vision will be able to tell their trainer what accommodations they need and strategies or tools they already use while others may describe their challenges but look to their trainer for potential assistance or solutions. Environmental assessment helps identify hazards, barriers, and determine the best route for that particular trainee. As the trainer assesses the route, they will pay attention to the accessibility in relation to the person with low vision and consider whether the existing wayfinding information is suitable for that person.
About Low Vision
Trainers may come up with ideas and solicit feedback from the trainees with whom they work. Low vision affects each person differently and may vary from day to day or environment to environment for the same individual and may be temporary, stable, or progressive.
Low vision may affect acuity (sharpness of vision at near or far), field of vision (loss of peripheral or central vision or a combination), color perception or discrimination, depth perception, contrast, sensitivity to light, difficulty seeing in dark or dim environments, adjusting to changes in light levels, or some combination of these.
An individual of any age can experience low vision though it’s more common among older adults. An individual may be born with a condition which causes low vision (congenital) or acquire a condition which causes low vision (adventitious). Adventitious vision loss may result from a medical condition affecting the eyes or the brain, from the treatment for a condition, or from an injury (including traumatic brain injury).
An optometrist or ophthalmologist can refer an individual to a low vision clinic. A vision rehabilitation specialist teaches strategies, identifies tools, and provides nformation about resources such as low vision support groups.
Understanding Individuals with Low Vision
A trainee new to low vision, with a progressive vision condition, or with additional newly acquired disabilities may need travel training before they have adjusted psychologically to low vision. For example, if someone has recently lost their driver’s license due to low vision, they may feel angry, frustrated, or sad about the situation and may mistakenly associate the travel trainer with the loss of their license.
They may feel unable to continue or resume working in their preferred field due to low vision and may be fearful or feel vulnerable. The individual and those close to them may have different ideas about learning new ways of doing things with low vision, and about independence and interdependence.
Individuals with low vision may feel isolated and misunderstood by family, friends, and classmates, or co-workers. They may be reluctant to try or use adaptive techniques, tools, or ask for needed accommodations. Some may continue to try to “pass” as fully sighted. Some may even be accused or concerned about being accused as “faking” low vision. And, friends and family members may either avoid them or try to do things for them that they could do for themselves with adaptations or visual rehabilitation.
Accessibility and Tips
If a travel training profram provides group trainings, travel trainers will ask about accommodations for trainees prior to the training. This may include large print hand-outs with high contrast, preferential seating, sending the presentation ahead of time so the individual can follow along on their device, zooming in, as needed.
Those working with individuals with low vision should learn about and create accessible presentations with sans serif fonts and provide image descriptions. If hashtags are used, they should be accessible as well by using camelCase (capitalizing each word after the first one in a set of words with no spaces so the individual can tell where one word ends and the next begins) or PascalCase (capitalizing each word). One example of the importance of this is SuperBowl vs. SuperbOwl.
If a program provides group training in a designated space, like a classroom setting, the instructor will evaluate the training space for any tripping hazards or items that stick out from the wall into a path of travel, look for visual clutter, and identify the lighting sources and whether any are adjustable (blinds for windows, dimmers for lights) or portable (to be available for an individual who needs more light). They will also identify and eliminate sources of glare, asking, does high contrast make various elements within the space distinguishable from others (walls/floors, desks/chairs, walls/doorways)? And, can they easily remedy areas of low contrast? If using a screen, dark mode may work better for some.
Trainers will also find out what strategies and tools the individual already uses and finds helpful. If providing printed materials, they will ask what size print works best for them or offer examples. Generally, 14-point or larger sans serif works best, but not necessarily for individuals with good central vision and a small field of vision.
It is recommended to travel train individuals with low vision at non-peak times, when possible, at least at first, to avoid crowds. Consider time of day and weather conditions; some find overcast days more tolerable and may wear sunglasses, even indoors. When providing verbal information, trainers use specific directional words, such as to your right rather than pointing or gesturing.
Some trainees may benefit from enlarged or modified print schedules, diagrams, or maps gone over with a Sharpie. One simple trick is to use the camera of one’s phone to zoom in on a bus stop or other sign to read it. Various apps may prove helpful, like "Be My Eyes" for street crossing. Make sure the trainee knows about audible features of your transit system and local infrastructure such as audible pedestrian signals. Familiarize yourself with built-in accessibility features on mobile devices.
Action Items
1. Identify and reach out to low vision support groups in your area, if you haven’t already.
2. Watch one video or read one article about low vision, how to create accessible presentations, or low vision apps here.
3. Look up the vision requirements for driving in your state here.
Learn more about the MBTA Mobility Center here.
