Many of the books on the CVI Book Nook include salient features to describe the attributes of images.  As with every material on this site, these are intended to be a starting point for adapting the materials to meet the individual needs of your child.  Using salient features to describe the attributes of an image will only be meaningful to a child if they already have an understanding of the concepts being discussed.  Concepts are developed through the exploration and use of real objects in everyday life and need to be intentionally taught to students whose visual impairment makes incidental learning challenging.   

The excerpt below was written by Charlotte Cushman and shared on the Perkins Paths to Literacy site. 

"What are "Salient Features"?

Dr. Roman-Lantzy defines salient features as, "the defining elements that distinguish one target from another." (Roman-Lanzy pg. 204). They are, "she continues, "the key pieces of distinct information that facilitate recognition of an image, object, environment, or person. " (Roman-Lanzy, 2018)

Dr. Roman-Lantzy has developed an approach to teach people with CVI to recognize distinctive information about something in order to be able to identify it. As such, there is not single "right" salient feature for something and this will be based on the individual. For example, my child may have a cup with a handle and that handle might be a salient feature for her. Another child may have a sippy cup, and that spout may be the distinctive feature for him. Each person is drawn to specific information about something, depending on interests, needs, strengths, and circumstances. "

Capital Letters Salient Features

Lowercase Letters Salient Features

Numbers Salient Features

Animals Salient Features

Common Objects Salient Features