Many gaps exist in what is known around teaching students with visual impairments (SVI) about how to use graphs (Rosenblum et al., 2018; Rosenblum & Herzberg, 2015; Zebehazy & Wilton, 2014a;2014b;2014c). When teachers first experience a student with a visual impairment, some of the questions that come to mind are: How can I be sure this student understands what I am saying about these graphs I show on the board? Will this student be able to keep up? The study herein, based on findings from Author (2018), serves as a guide for teachers to consider in the case that SVI enroll in their STEM courses. The author reports findings that answer questions that focus on how to teach SVI so they can be successful in mathematics and science courses, as well as the kinds of individuals who, given their unique training and experience with SVI, can be helpful resources.

Graphs are of great importance in many aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, because graphs are visual representations, they pose major issues for students with visual impairments (SVI) around accessibility and comprehension. Teachers of students with visual impairments (TVI) are responsible for ensuring that SVI gain access to graphs in a timely and effective manner, and a variety of tools exist to produce graphs for SVI. However, the literature surrounding visual impairment and graphs is sparse with respect to teacher perceptions of SVI needs for accessing and learning graphical information. A researcher-developed survey was used to understand TVI perceptions with regard to pedagogical practices and technological resources that benefit accessibility and comprehension of graphical information for SVI. A sample of 34 teachers with formal preparation in mathematics and teachers without formal preparation in mathematics were asked about their perceptions of instruction and technology SVI need to access and learn graphical information when in high school mathematics courses. Results indicated that TVI perceived SVI to exhibit different learning mechanisms than their peers with vision when using graphs, and time and multiple instructional strategies should be considered when teaching graphs to SVI.