With the passage of Goals 2000, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Education Science Reform Act of 2002, Congress has put a priority on a science curriculum for children that is based on research on the best practices in science education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, teachers "need to know what programs and strategies are effective in improving achievement in... science." Students' achievement scores for scientific literacy are far below international standards and are not adequate for "full participation as productive citizens in the 21st Century". However, there is a lack of research-based science education practices for students with visual impairments and a great need for valid research that will improve the possibilities for these students in the area of science education. In this article, the authors discuss the implications of this issue on students who are visually impaired. They contend that research should be in response not just to the mandates of the Education Science Reform Act, but to the need to move the field forward with best practices in science education. To gain a better understanding of the needs of students who are visually impaired, educators must learn from them, and qualitative methods will allow the field to do so.