Blind or partially sighted.

Children with a visual impairment are blind or partially sighted. This can also happen with another disability. Most pupils who are blind or partially sighted go to regular education and get extra help or support there. There are also schools for special education for these children. These schools and the support at regular schools fall under the institutions for cluster-1.

The education

Pupils in cluster-1 education follow partly the same lessons as pupils in regular education. The pace is adjusted to the pupil if needed. Existing methods and materials are also used, but they are adapted more to the needs of the pupils. For example, magnification, digital workbooks, and other optical aids are used. Pupils also work with speech computers, braille, keyboards, viewing strategies, adjustable tables, and extra light. In special education, fewer pupils are in a class: about seven to twelve. Often children are placed in classes by age or level. Partially sighted and blind pupils follow most lessons together, but sometimes they get different lessons and for some subjects there are separate lessons.

Institutions

In the Netherlands, two institutions offer special education for visually impaired pupils: Bartiméus and Koninklijke Visio. Both institutions also provide guidance for toddlers and their parents, ambulatory guidance in regular education, support in vocational education, and help for adults. These institutions have schools all over the country.

For cluster-1, it applies that they are organized separately from the general education field and are financed separately. To get support from cluster-1, a pupil must meet the criteria and have a declaration of admissibility with an arrangement from the institution.