Rehabilitation teachers who work with students having visual impairments are urged to act more affirmatively on behalf of their profession: (1) by organizing archives; (2) by developing a written history; (3) by promoting rehabilitation teaching; and (4) by promoting professionalism and quality. (DB)

This article reports the findings of a survey of 37 orientation and mobility specialists who serve preschool-age visually impaired children. It presents demographics of the children and the specialists involved in long cane instruction and identifies the factors related to the decision to begin this instruction. (Author/DB)

A visually impaired rehabilitation teacher describes a model developed in Maine for providing low vision services, with emphasis on teaching the use of near-point aids to assist on near-point tasks. The article addresses preevaluation services, assessment of clients with low vision, and follow-up when the client begins using the aids at home. (DB)

This hypothetical letter to a junior high school student with visual impairments stresses the child's abilities and possibilities rather than limitations as well as the importance of the child's individual development and assumption of personal responsibility. The letter is primarily intended to help teachers think about how to best help such…

This article describes a visual assessment procedure (VAP) which evaluates capacity, attention, and processing (CAP) of infants and preschool children with visual impairments. The two-level battery considers, first, visual capacity and basic visual attention and, second, visual perceptual and cognitive abilities. A theoretical analysis of the…

The Christoffel-Blindenmission helps support 26 schools, centers, and rehabilitation programs for individuals with visual impairments in South America. This article discusses the organization's limited use of foreign specialists to discourage overdependency on the agency and to encourage local personnel to establish their own programs. (Author/JDD)

This article presents information on macular degeneration for professionals helping persons with this disease adjust to their visual loss. It covers types of macular degeneration, the etiology of the disease, and its treatment. Also considered are psychosocial problems and other difficulties that persons with age-related macular degeneration face.…

This article identifies major barriers that impede the inclusion of students with visual impairments or deaf blindness in physical education and suggests strategies for overcoming these barriers. Barriers are grouped into teachers' barriers (e.g., lack of professional preparation), students' barriers (parental overprotection), and administrative…

This guide provides clear, graphic step-by-step instructions to introducing Braille 'n Speak technology to students with visual impairments. Braille 'n Speak is a notebook computer for individuals with visual impairments. Individuals input text using Braille keys and get speech feedback. The guide is intended to help classroom teachers with…

This manual for volunteers begins with a brief introduction to Arizona's Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which is one of 56 libraries appointed by the Librarian of Congress to provide public library service to persons with visual or physical impairments. Introductory materials include explanations of the general policies and…

Designed for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped, this document presents three short articles about literary braille. The first article discusses common pitfalls that occur on trial manuscripts, such as misformed characters, missing and added dots, incorrect title pages, and incorrect word divisions. The second article…

Three short articles about music braille are presented for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped. The first article focuses on common in-accord-related errors in braille music and provides a definition of and information about accidentals and in-accords and doubling and in-accords. The second article deals with the rules…

Relationships between infant visual skills and the development of object permanence and expressive language skills were examined with 31 infants in three groups: visually typical, visually atypical, and Down Syndrome. Measures used to evaluate visual status were: forced preferential looking, optokinetic nystagmus, and behavioral. Object permanence…

The document describes Lowe's syndrome, a hereditary condition that affects only males and is typically diagnosed during the first year of life. Effects of Lowe's syndrome on the eyes (cataracts, glaucoma, corneal degeneration, and strabismus) are discussed, as well as related problems with the central nervous system, muscles, kidneys, bones, and…