Listen to the text of this lesson via human narration; click or tap the audio track below:
Find the recommended writing products used in this lesson:
- Writing Guide (Non-Folder Style): Clip this to your paper and use the slots to keep your writing straight and spaced. Click or tap to find this writing guide online.
- 20 20 BoldWriter Pen: This bold pen creates high contrast marks in black ink, does not bleed through paper or smudge. Click or tap to find a BoldWriter online.
- Sloped Board: Adjust your writing to be closer to your eye level and easier to see. Click or tap to find a sloped board online.
Photo of a woman’s hands; she holds a bold black marker and is about to write on a Post-It notepad.
Video: Writing Tools & Techniques, Part II
Click or tap below to play the video and listen to the lesson.
Transcript
And, the last writing guide is similar to the one that I just demonstrated. It’s not as fancy, but it does the job. With this one, you set your sheet of paper down, you set the writing guide right on top, and then you write your notes as you would with a regular sheet of paper. I recommend that if you do us this non-folder writing guide, paper clip the guide and piece of paper together so that the writing guide doesn’t move when you are writing your notes.
This guide helps you stay on the lines and keeps you writing perfectly straight. Okay, so those are the writing guides.
Also, when you are going to use this writing technique, it’s good to choose a pen that works best for you. Right now, I have a 20 20 pen and a 40 pen. These pens are specifically made for people who have vision impairment. They’re highly visible, their ink is black, and it dries up quickly with no smudges and does not bleed through paper.
So right now, I’m using the 20 20 pen. It does not smudge, and it’s already dry.
Now, I’m going to use the 40 pen. The difference is that the 40 pen is bolder. It’s the same as a 20 20 pen in terms of it not smudging or bleeding, but the 40 pen is bolder.
Now, we’re going to talk about positioning. When you are going to write something or do a writing task, positioning is important. You may need to put a cushion on your chair so you can feel taller.
Or, it may help to have a sloped board. On your screen, I have a wooden, sloped board. This is a nice surface to write on, and you can position your pen any way that you would like to write down your notes. A nice thing about the board is that you can tilt it up and bring the writing closer to you so you can more easily see what you’re writing.
For example, I’m going to write my name, and it’s easier with the tilted board because it brings the writing closer to me. It’s making it easier for me to see.
Again, remember to have a lamp close to you so that you can make your writing task easier. I have a regular desktop lamp with a gooseneck. I keep this nearby so I can help students with any kind of task and have more lighting.
Take in all of these considerations: lighting, color contrast, positioning yourself, writing guides, and you will be able to continue writing as independently as possible with low vision.
That concludes my lesson on writing skills.