Iceland: Positive Looking Everyday by Everyone Toolkit

In October 2023, professionals from across the world gathered in Iceland for the first International See it, Find it, Use it Positive Looking Conference. During just 30 minutes of collaborative thinking, 65 delegates generated an incredible 321 practical ideas to support children with visual impairment (VI), Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) and Multi-Disability Visual Impairment (MDVI) throughout the school day.

The result was the Positive Looking Everyday by Everyone Toolkit: a collection of simple, achievable strategies that can be used by anyone, anywhere.

Positive Looking is Everyone’s Responsibility

Children with visual impairment use their vision all day, every day. Access to learning should not depend solely on specialist interventions or occasional support sessions.

The philosophy behind Positive Looking is simple. Small changes made by everyone can create more opportunities for children to develop visual skills, participate in daily activities and engage more fully with the world around them. The toolkit demonstrates that effective support does not require specialist expertise. Instead, it focuses on practical ideas that are easy to implement and can become part of everyday routines.

321 Practical Ideas for Everyday Learning

The toolkit is organised around key parts of a child’s day, including:

• Greetings and goodbyes
• Moving around
• Downtimes
• Personal care
• Playtimes and breaktimes
• Snack times and lunch times

Each section contains practical suggestions that help create visual opportunities during naturally occurring activities. These ideas encourage children to see, find, use and develop their visual skills in meaningful contexts.

Simple Changes Can Make a Big Difference

The toolkit highlights straightforward strategies that can improve visual accessibility, including:

• Wearing black to improve contrast
• Using bright, visually engaging resources
• Using larger objects and materials
• Presenting a high-contrast face
• Creating portable Positive Looking resources for use on the move

These approaches are often quick, inexpensive and highly effective, helping children access learning opportunities throughout the day.

A Global Community with a Shared Vision

One of the most powerful outcomes of the conference was the sense of collaboration and shared purpose. Professionals came together with a common goal: ensuring children with VI, CVI and MDVI have meaningful opportunities to use their vision across all environments and activities.

The energy, creativity and commitment generated during the conference continue to inspire practitioners worldwide. The Positive Looking Everyday by Everyone Toolkit is a testament to what can be achieved when people work together to promote inclusive practice and visual development.

Download the Toolkit

The toolkit resources provide a wealth of practical ideas that can be used in schools, early years settings, specialist provisions and at home.

Whether you are a teacher, teaching assistant, habilitation specialist, therapist or parent, these resources offer simple ways to increase visual opportunities and support children’s access to learning every day.

Together we can ensure that Positive Looking happens everywhere, every day, by everyone.