Seeing With Your Hands

• Visually impaired children are typically more tactile than their sighted peers. They explore the world not just with their hands but their feet and even their tongues. For any object without a strong odor, taste or sound, touch may be the only way the child knows the item. Clay is a tactile medium and, as such, appeals to children with vision impairments.
  
  

What Do Visually Impaired Children See?

• The image that comes to a child's mind when you say a word like "flower" will differ depending on the visual impairment. Some may relate to a flower solely by touch. Others may make out the shape but not see the color. Those with neurological vision disorders like cortical vision impairment may see a simplified version of the flower. Sadashi Inuzuka, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Michigan says that children without sight get in touch with the essence of the flower.
  
  

There Is No Wrong Answer

• Children working with clay should be encouraged to be creative rather than being held to a rigid sense of precise re-creation of an object. Visually impaired children may create cruder representations, or may produce abstract shapes rather than exact replicas. They may have trouble grasping finer details of shaping the clay since they cannot see the result. As with all children, they should be praised for what they can do rather than being criticized for what they cannot.
  
  

Clay Unites Children

• Sighted and visually impaired children find a common ground when working with clay. A visually impaired child may not be able to appreciate a classmate's painting or drawing, but can touch his finished pottery and feel its shape. Sighted children can see how their disabled peers have just as much fun squeezing and twisting the clay into fascinating new shapes. They can share in the feel of the medium.
  
  

Therapeutic Value Of Clay Work

• Working in clay has a number of other benefits to children, sighted or not. It improves their manual dexterity and fine motor skills, which is important for children with multiple disabilities. It gives them an outlet to express their creativity, something which may be stifled in other media. The ability to make art improves self-esteem and makes them feel a part of their peer group. Finally, it's simply a fun and safe activity for visually impaired children to participate in.