Children with a visual impairment and additional needs have numerous appointments and visits with a large number of professionals, who are all trying to provide the best support for the child as they can. Having to wear glasses is just "another thing" to have to deal with (and an easy thing to get rid of!).
In my experience, when a child with a visual impairment and additional needs is told they also have to wear glasses, sometimes they are happy to wear them, other times it is a real challenge to get them to wear them, for all sorts of reasons, depending on the individual. Some simply do not want to be seen as "different", others don't like how they feel or just like to play with them. One child I supported wouldn't wear their glasses and as a team of people (including the parents) supporting the child, felt she simply liked to see things her way (even if what she was seeing wasn't clear).
The children will find a way to not wear them. Typical methods will include hiding their glasses, telling you they don't need them, breaking them, forgeting to bring them to school or simply to constantly take them off after they have just put them on.
Be consistent
But there are ways we can help and the main way to way to encourage the child to wear their glasses is to be consistent. First of all it is important to speak with the parents and discuss exactly what the optician who has prescribed the glasses has said about when and how long the child needs to wear them for. By working with the parents, messages to the child can be kept consistent and the child will then have clear guidelines of what is expected of them. Once this information has been established, it is important to help the child understand the importance of wearing their glasses.
Select times to wear glasses
For those children with good understanding, allowing them times to select when they wear their glasses to start with could be an option. One child recently decided he was happy to wear his glasses only at home for the TV and computer games. In time, he is going to be encouraged to wear them at them at the end of the day in class for just looking at the interactive board and then hopefully progress from there. Using images of popular celebrities who wear glasses will be used with this pupil to encourage him to see that so many people wear glasses.
Other children I have worked with have come to an "agreement" that they will wear their glasses in certain classes but they don't have to wear them in others, or at break times. This is the main approach which most children seem to be happy with.
Structured approach
With some children who have severe learning difficulties, this may require more of a structured approach and they will need to be fully focused on something that motivates them more than taking their glasses off and then encouraged to put the glasses on for that one activity.
Make it fun
Another way of encouraging children to wear their glasses in the early stages is using them for dressing up so they get used to things being on their face. Using fun "dressing up" glasses or masks with large mirrors is a great way to help get this started.
There are numerous ways which we can help children want to wear their glasses but consistency and gentle encouragement, so they wear them on their terms is what I have found to be the most productive approach.