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Glite Dictionary
visually impaired

visually impaired

8 3.9
Having very little or no sight that makes seeing hard
  • adjective
  • /ˈvɪʒuəli ɪmˈpɛrd/
translation icon : persona con discapacidad visual
  • Many restaurants are now offering menus in Braille for visually impaired customers.
  • visually impaired children
  • visually impaired students
  • visually impaired person

And and it said, no, I'm not, I'm just visually impaired and I can't do this myself.

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Examples

  • Often, sighted students will team up with their visually impaired counterparts to help describe the sights.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Teachers usually cover several school districts, delivering services to visually impaired students in public school settings.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Your hard work has made a substantial impact on the quality of education for visually impaired students.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Language may be used to extend experiences and increase the knowledge of visually impaired children.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Through means such as these, the numbers of professionals serving visually impaired individuals will grow.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Computer vision holds the key for the blind or visually impaired to explore the visual world.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Receiving oral instructions may be essential to a person who is visually impaired.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Some organizations serving people who are visually impaired have formal programs to educate employers, but many do not.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The student who is visually impaired often has difficulty benefiting from these materials.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Several companies offer GPS-based navigational systems specifically designed for visually impaired people.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

visually challenged
vsvisually impaired
1 5.8

Not able to see well and often needing help to read or move around

is the same meaning but uses different phrasing
near-blind
vsvisually impaired
1 6.3

Able to see only a little

also applies to less severe vision reduction
dim-sighted
vsvisually impaired
8.6

Unable to see things clearly because you have weak eyes

includes both partial impairment and total lack of sight
purblind
vsvisually impaired
  • Archaic
9.9

Having very poor sight and hardly able to see

covers that range but also less severe reduced sight
sand-blind
vsvisually impaired
9.9

Having very poor sight because sand or dust hurt the eyes

applies generally to reduced vision, not only partial cases
blindish
vsvisually impaired
  • Informal
8.2

Having some trouble seeing clearly

can also describe stronger sight reduction up to complete loss

Antonyms

sighted
1.3

A person who can see

clear-sighted
4.7

A person or animal that can see clearly, even far away

How Sighted

sighted
1.3
visually impaired
8 3.9
blind
520 1.0

Surface Forms

visually impaired positive

Morphology

visually + impaired

The meaning 'having greatly reduced vision' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'visually' (pertaining to seeing) with 'impaired' (weakened or damaged). This adjective phrase follows a clear compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Visually impaired comes from the words visually ('by sight') and impaired ('damaged' or 'not working well'). The phrase gives the image of someone's sight being weaker, so it means 'having reduced vision'.