That is highly dependent on the age range, and what their abilities are.

Generally speaking, though, some major things are have expectations of them, and let them try and fail (and try again). I've met teenagers who can't tie their shoes or use a microwave because they were either A) never taught or B) the parents didn't think they could do it, so they did everything for them, which led to learned helplessness. It may take them more time to learn it, and they may need more time to practice it, but they need to put in that effort. Oftentimes, the kids may get frustrated they can't do it, and a parent steps in because it's "faster" or "easier". That may be true in the short term, but that is not good for the long term.

Well, when I was younger, no one listened to me. Everyone thought THEY knew how my vision was, and I didn’t. So listening to them, and allowing them to have a say is very important. Not punishing them is also a very good idea. I didn’t want to wear glasses, so instead of consoling me, my parents took my toys, and my teachers yelled at me until I did. To this day, I have a very hard time communicating with people about my disability, because I’m terrified they’ll punish me for it. I would also suggest introducing them to role models who are visually impaired as well. I’m sure there are children’s books out there on this subject, and I think I would have benefitted a lot from this. It took me a long time to figure out that it wasn’t just me. Being honest is another tip. This is more for parents, but I think teachers/employers/mentors could do this as well. Evolve them in planning and accommodating for their disability. Work with them, not above the,. Of course, this would probably by more appropriate for older children, but it is still important.

You might think this has a lot to do with the learning process, but school is pretty much the entire life of a child. School is where everything happens for them, and it’s a very important place. Enfolding them with their opinions and their wants, gives them the knowledge that they actually DO have a choice. This will give those kids so much confidence, and will teach them how to advocate for themselves when they need it. Confidence is a very important part of being independent. They can have the skills, but they need to know they can USE the skills.

Being independent isn’t just about tools and technology. Building the motivation, and the belief that they CAN be independent is just as important.

This is a very good question to be asking, because I really do believe a lot of teachers and parents have no idea what they’re doing. How you treat a child with a disability impacts them for the rest of their life, so it’s great that someone is trying to make a difference for the better.

My daughter at almost 14 doesn't want to be different from anyone else. I have always ensured she was independent. I have always told her school to expect the same from her as you would any other student. Don't let her use her vision or balance issues as an excuse not to try. When the P. E. teachers asked for limitations, I said she has none. It has served her well as she doesn't limit herself.

These types of questions are always tough, since there are lots of people doing grad research projects like this and honestly a lot of them go nowhere. But I have seen examples of research that has turned out to be amazing. Here's a couple.

* There is a severe shortage of braille teachers which is only going to get worse. I know there is a growing amount of tools to teach braille but there still may be room for more. Consider that the learner needs to have a refreshable braille display for this to work and they are generally quite expensive, though there are some cheaper ones out there now.

* Seconded the thoughts on children not getting basic skills like tying their shoes. Parents can teach, but I wonder if there is a fun set of YouTube videos for kids that parents could watch with their kids that teach concepts like this in an accessible manner with audio descriptions, etc.

If you give us some more specifics, perhaps some more ideas will come out. What is your major? Yur areas of expertise? Good luck.

This is hard to answer because it varies from child to child.