IEP goals for students with visual impairments

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

IEP goals for visually impaired students build the access skills a student needs to learn alongside sighted peers: reading in braille or print, getting to math and graphics, using low vision devices and traveling safely. Each goal should come from the functional vision evaluation and learning media assessment, name the medium and device, and count something you can score.

Visual impairment, including blindness, is one federal eligibility category, but it covers students who read regular print with a magnifier and students who have no light perception.^[1] The goals look very different across that range. What they share is the source: the teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) bases them on a functional vision evaluation and a learning media assessment, not on an eye report alone.

The law adds one rule that shapes every IEP for a student who is blind or visually impaired. The team must provide instruction in braille and the use of braille unless it decides, after evaluating the student's reading and writing skills, needs and future needs, that braille is not appropriate.^[2] That decision belongs in the IEP, with the reason.

The 12 goals below cover academic access. For goals in all nine areas of the expanded core curriculum, see expanded core curriculum goals by area. Baselines and criteria are illustrations.

Choosing the right goal

If the student...	Area to target	Measure	Data sheet
Reads braille letters but slowly, or is starting contractions	Braille literacy	Words correct per minute or accuracy	Reading fluency data sheet
Reads print but tires, loses place or holds the page very close	Print access with devices	Rate or opportunities	Opportunity data sheet
Cannot get information from graphs, maps or diagrams	Tactile or magnified graphics	Percent accuracy	Accuracy data sheet
Waits for an adult to set up a magnifier or laptop	Device independence	Task analysis	Task analysis data sheet
Needs an adult to get from class to class	Orientation and mobility	Task analysis	Task analysis data sheet
Has cortical visual impairment	Visual attention and use of vision	Opportunities	See the CVI IEP goals

The learning media assessment is the hinge. It tells the team whether the student reads best in print, braille, auditory formats or a mix, and that choice decides which goals make sense.

Reading and writing goals in braille or print

Braille readers need goals that move from letters to contractions to fluent reading. Print readers with low vision need goals that build reading stamina with the right tools. Some students need both, especially when vision is expected to change. For a full braille sequence, see braille goals from pre-braille to contracted braille.

#	Goal	Baseline	Template
1	Given an unpracticed passage in contracted braille at instructional level, the student will read 40 words correct per minute with 95% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly probes.	22 wcpm, 88% accuracy	Braille reading rate on contracted passages
2	Given 10 dictated sentences, the student will braille them on a braillewriter with correct contractions in 8 of 10 sentences on 3 of 4 probes.	4 of 10	Compose sentences in contracted braille
3	Using a video magnifier set to their preferred size and contrast, the student will read an instructional-level print passage at 70 words correct per minute on 3 consecutive probes.	45 wcpm	Reading rate on a video magnifier

Weak: "The student will read braille."

Measurable: "Given an unpracticed passage in contracted braille at instructional level, the student will read 40 words correct per minute with 95% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly probes."

Score braille and print reading the same way you score any oral reading fluency probe. Compare a braille reader's rate to their own past rates, not to print norms.

Math and graphics access goals

Math is where many students who are blind fall behind, because so much of it is visual: number lines, graphs, aligned columns. The goals below target access, not the math standard itself. The math goal stays in the math section. For abacus goals, see abacus instruction and goals.

#	Goal	Baseline	Template
4	Given 10 grade-level computation problems in braille math code, the student will read and solve 8 of 10 correctly on 3 of 4 probes.	5 of 10	Solve math problems in braille math code
5	Given a tactile bar graph or line graph with 5 questions, the student will locate and report the requested values for 4 of 5 questions on 3 consecutive probes.	2 of 5	Read values from a tactile graph
6	Using a handheld or electronic magnifier, the student will read values from a printed chart or map for 9 of 10 questions on 3 of 4 probes.	6 of 10	Read charts and maps with magnification

Weak: "The student will use tactile graphics."

Measurable: "Given a tactile bar graph or line graph with 5 questions, the student will locate and report the requested values for 4 of 5 questions on 3 consecutive probes."

The TVI should note the code used for math. Many U.S. students read Nemeth Code for math inside Unified English Braille text; others read UEB technical. Write the choice down so next year's teacher does not switch it by accident.

Visual efficiency and low vision device goals

For students with usable vision, the goal is to get information quickly with the least effort, using the right tool for each task. The low vision device goals page covers magnifiers, telescopes and screen tools in more depth.

#	Goal	Baseline	Template
7	Using a monocular telescope, the student will copy a 5-line assignment from the board with no more than 1 error on 4 of 5 opportunities.	Copies 2 lines; 4 errors	Copy from the board with a monocular
8	At the start of class, the student will set up the video magnifier with 7 of 7 steps independent on 4 of 5 observed days.	3 of 7 steps	Set up a video magnifier
9	When a handout or screen is hard to see, the student will tell the teacher and request an accessible version within 5 minutes on 4 of 5 opportunities.	1 of 5	Report material that is hard to see

Weak: "The student will use low vision devices."

Measurable: "At the start of class, the student will set up the video magnifier with 7 of 7 steps independent on 4 of 5 observed days."

Travel and independence goals

Orientation and mobility is a related service under federal rules.^[3] The O&M specialist writes these goals after an O&M evaluation. Templates are on the orientation and mobility goals page, and the cane skills progression lays out the long cane sequence.

#	Goal	Baseline	Template
10	Using a long cane, the student will travel from the classroom to the cafeteria and back with 12 of 12 route steps independent on 4 of 5 trips.	6 of 12 steps	Travel from the classroom to the cafeteria
11	During passing periods, the student will arrive at each class before the bell on 9 of 10 observed transitions.	6 of 10	Get to each class during passing periods
12	When offered help by a peer or adult, the student will accept or decline politely and give a clear instruction on 4 of 5 opportunities.	2 of 5	Accept or decline offers of help

Weak: "The student will be more independent at school."

Measurable: "During passing periods, the student will arrive at each class before the bell on 9 of 10 observed transitions."

How to measure progress

Match each goal to one method and one sheet.

Reading rate: 1-minute oral reading fluency probes on unpracticed passages, weekly or every 2 weeks.
Routines such as device setup and travel: task analysis, scored step by step. The O&M data sheet guide shows a route sheet with real numbers.
Requests and self-advocacy: opportunities, counted when the chance comes up.
Graphics and math access: percent accuracy on a fixed set of items.

Itinerant TVIs and O&M specialists may see a student once or twice a week. The classroom team often collects the daily data. Agree on the sheet at the meeting and have the specialist check it at each visit. Paste each draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Typical focus	Example
Preschool	Tactile exploration, visual attention, early concepts	Tracks a braille line left to right
K to 2	Letters in braille or print, device basics, school routes	Identifies uncontracted braille letters
3 to 5	Contractions, reading rate, math code, magnifier use	Reads values from a tactile graph
6 to 8	Notetakers, screen tools, passing periods	Takes notes on a braille notetaker
9 to 12	Self-advocacy, community travel, career tools	Requests accessible materials from each teacher

Accommodations such as braille copies, large print and extended time go in their own section. See accommodations for visual impairment. The low-incidence disabilities guide shows who owns each section. The American Foundation for the Blind and the American Printing House for the Blind both publish background on these skill areas for teachers and families.^[4]^[5]

Frequently asked questions

Who writes IEP goals for a student with a visual impairment?

The TVI writes the vision and expanded core curriculum goals, and the O&M specialist writes travel goals. Classroom and special education teachers write academic goals with the TVI's input on access. The case manager joins them into one plan.

Does every student with a visual impairment need braille goals?

No. The team must provide braille instruction unless it decides, after evaluating reading and writing skills, needs and future needs, that braille is not appropriate. Students who read print well with devices may not need braille, but the decision must be made and recorded.

Can a student with low vision have both print and braille goals?

Yes. Students whose vision is expected to decline, or who tire quickly with print, often learn both. The learning media assessment helps the team decide how much time each medium gets.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.8: Child with a disability, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
American Foundation for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind
American Printing House for the Blind, American Printing House for the Blind

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.