The purpose of the thesis was to develop the skills and ability of early childhood educators to work with visually impaired children participating in early childhood education and care. The task was to create a guidebook that early childhood educators can use when working with a visually impaired or blind child. This thesis is practice-based and was commissioned by North Karelia Association of the Visually Impaired.

The thesis process was guided by a constructivist model. Both theory and methodological literature as well as dialogic discussion were used in the acquisition of information. In addition, semi-structured interviews and its thematic analysis were conducted by interviewing early childhood educators and the guardian of a visually impaired child. The answers received from the interviews gave direction to the content of the thesis output. The assessment methods in the thesis were an evaluating dialogue with the commissioner, self-reflection, and the thesis diary.

The guidebook, which was created as a result of the thesis, is aimed at early childhood educators. In addition to general theory related to visual impairment, the guidebook contains targeted information and practical ideas related to supporting and guiding a visually impaired child in early childhood education. In addition to early childhood educators, the guide can also be used by other people and professionals working with a visually impaired child. The possibility of further development would be to study the usability of the guidebook by observing and evaluating the use of the guide in early childhood education. In order to find out the true usefulness of the guidebook and how it responds to the need, the evaluation could involve early childhood educators who have used the thesis output.