A survey of state agencies found that early intervention services to visually impaired children, aged birth-two and three-five years, were permissive or mandated in the 29 respondents' states or territories. All respondents used definitions of visual impairment similar to the federal definition, and all required a medical diagnosis. (JDD)

The paper examines the historical background, the current status, and the future possibilities of educational programing for gifted children with sensory and/or physical disabilities. Discussed are definitions, prevalence, child characteristics, identification methods, exemplary programs, obstacles, and influential trends. A model is proposed for…

Discusses a problem in which students are asked to determine a way of cutting the corners off different denominations of paper currency enabling visually impaired individuals to distinguish between the bills with the condition that further cuts will not increase the value of the bills. Reconstructs a solution from classroom experiences. (MDH)

This article presents a framework for incorporating microcomputer technology into programs preparing teachers of blind or visually impaired students. The article outlines objectives and approaches to achieving the objectives, lists equipment needed, and stresses the importance of teacher educators' positive attitudes toward technology. (Author/JDD)

An Amiga 500 microcomputer with a talking word processor was used by an Australian visually impaired elementary school pupil, to provide an alternative to braille in using text and writing. This article reviews the relevant literature, explores the challenges and limitations posed by the technology, and offers a case study of the student and her…

A closed-circuit television system was used with a five-year-old girl with severely limited vision to develop visual skills, especially skills related to concept formation. At the end of training, the girl could recognize lines, forms, shapes, letters, numbers, and words and could read short sentences. (Author/JDD)

Diabetes educators have a dual role--to prevent eye disease and to help people with diabetes who are visually impaired achieve and maintain their desired level of independence. Familiarity with the range of adaptive equipment available and utilization of the professional association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, can assist in…

Although research strongly suggests that individuals who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) experience alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) disorders at rates higher than those expected within the general population (NAADD, 1999), less is known about specific barriers that influence AODA treatment for these consumers (Koch & Nelipovich, 1999).…

This guide is designed to assist principals in the supervision of special education programs in their schools. The first of seven papers, by Ann Schnepf and Linda DeClue, offers a general overview of supervisory practices pertaining to special education. Subsequent papers review specific categories of students with disabilities and the supervision…

This book describes transdisciplinary management of multiply disabled children with vision problems and presents four theoretical models of visual assessment and three illustrative case studies in a sequence appropriate to the learning process. The first three models are intended to lead to assessment and management of the child and the last to…

The goal of this guide is to provide Massachusetts teachers of visually impaired students with an opportunity to increase the quality of evaluation procedures through a more consistent approach to assessment and to provide a means of recording the outcomes of such assessment procedures in more meaningful ways. The guide covers basic elements…

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) commissioned a study to determine the baseline costs of operation for the network of libraries and agencies that provide braille, playback machine, and recorded book services to patrons of the free national program. A 15-year projection of costs was also prepared. The…

Through the Bioengineering and Research to Aid the Disabled program of the National Science Foundation, design projects were awarded competitively to 16 universities. Senior engineering students at each of the universities constructed custom devices and software for disabled individuals. This compendium contains a description of each project in…

The four chapters in this resource book provide general considerations for the development of teacher-made achievement tests in science for students with visual, hearing, and/or orthopedic impairments. Chapter 1 focuses on changes in classroom testing by considering the testing of handicapped students, norm-referenced versus criterion-referenced…

The Total Communication Checklist and Assessment screening tool for multihandicapped students is presented to assist the language examiner to select areas requiring more precise testing. The checklist, which contains 196 rating entries, consists of the following four sections: (1) readiness for symbolic communication, (2) preference for speech,…