Seattle Children's Hospital provides helpful information, educational materials, and tools for parents of children with Special Health Care Needs. This safety tip sheet concerning safety tips for children with vision loss is compiled from Seattle Children's Hospital and the Safe Kids org. Safety for kiddos with vision loss is especially important to me.
Safety precautions for a child with vision in one eye involve injury prevention due to decreased peripheral vision. In other words "don't poke your eye out!"
As soon as he could toddle around he wore those adorable glasses with the band to hold them on his head. All thorny bushes were banned from the yard, all poke your eye out toys were banned from our house and generally he played and toddled around with his glasses without a care in the world.
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Safety Tips for Children With Vision Loss
Tips
o
Give a copy to the people who care for your
child.
o
Talk with your child’s care team including your
child’s health care provider, school nurse, principal, teacher, school staff
and other caregivers.
o
Involve your child. Talk about the steps you’ll
take. Ask your child “what if” questions to help them learn to problem solve.
Fall Safety
o
Are home and
play spaces well lit with lighting in hallways that is bright and even?
o
Do pathways
provide clear access throughout the home? Are they cleared of throw rugs, worn
carpet, low tables, and electric cords? (Electric cords can be taped to the
floor).
o
Using High
contrast colors and shapes in your home may increase the visibility of key
objects for your child. Choose colors that your child can see well. White or
bright yellow against a black background often provides the strongest color
contrast.
o
Is there a
nonskid mat or no-slip strips and grab bars in the bathtub?
o
Are there hand
rails on any raised platforms and stairways?
Fire and
Burn Safety
o
Take steps to
prevent your child from contact with fire hazards in the home such as space
heaters, grills and fireplaces.
o
Do all electric
outlets have covers in them? (For very young children).
o
Do you have a
fire escape plan for your home? Talk about and practice a fire escape with your
whole family. Plan for places such as school, places of worship, theaters, and
stores. Review your child’s school fire escape plan to make certain help is
planned for your child.
o
Include a
special meeting place outside your home in your plan where all family members
can meet in case of fire. Choose a spot that is easy to find with points of reference
for your child.
o
Teach all family
members and other caregivers how to help your child escape in a fire.
o
If your child is
not able to see to any degree, teach your child to exit your home by using
their
hand or foot to follow along a wall or crawl along the floor. Practice
this.
o
Teach your child
to dial 911 and to provide information for emergency services.
o
Do all adults
and older children know where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it?
Water
Safety
o
Always watch
your child or have an adult closely watch your child in all water activities
even if there is a lifeguard on duty. A brightly colored swimsuit will make
your child easy to spot.
o
Tell the
lifeguard that your child is blind or has vision loss.
o
Have your child
wear a life vest in a boat, on a dock and near open water like lakes or rivers.
Pedestrian
Safety
o
Work with your
community to assess the need for audible signals to be installed at busy or
complex intersections. Ask for safety signs to be posted in your neighborhood
that informs drivers that a child with vision loss plays and lives in the area.
For More
Information
Keeping
Children with Special Needs Safe in the Home from Safe Kids and the MetLife
Foundation. A series of safety videos highlighting how you can take precautions
in your home to help prevent injuries to children with physical, developmental
or cognitive disabilities http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/special-needs/
