Issues concerning the job preparation and development system for persons who are blind or visually impaired were identified by public and private sector leaders and used to develop a plan for full employment. Issues affected by factors external to the rehabilitation system and those influenced by the system are discussed. (SW)

This summary of a 1988 seminar meeting on service delivery to people with blindness or visual impairments focuses on rehabilitation, addressing access to information, consumers' impressions of services, purpose of evaluations, dealing with cultural differences, sites for delivering services, issues in rehabilitation, and training of rehabilitation…

This article identifies current problems that act as barriers to improved and expanded services and opportunities for blind and visually impaired people and their families, such as detachment of medical profession from service delivery, automatic student promotions, expectation of specialized programs in every district, parental choice of schools,…

A placement counselor offers his personal guidelines for a vocational placement process to serve blind individuals. Guidelines address the counselor's value system; the functional limitations of visual impairment and adaptive options; and the role of the employing agency in enhancing counselors' motivation for placement. A model placement policy…

This article argues that orientation and mobility (O&M) training should be part of functional and meaningful activities for children and youth with severe multiple disabilities including a visual impairment. Evidence is provided that out-of-context instruction has not been effective, and the role of the O&M instructor is discussed. (DB)

This article refutes six myths associated with schools for students who are blind or visually impaired, such as specialized schools segregate and overprotect students from the real world, are for students with multiple disabilities only, and do not provide interaction with nondisabled children. These myths preclude some students from being…

First discusses the philosophy, structure, and content of instruction for students with severe disabilities and then presents procedures to define and incorporate strategies to meet the unique needs of students with visual and multiple impairments. A five-step analysis process is suggested for modifying a core curriculum to individualize…

Testing materials for high school students whose reading is below grade level might not be age-appropriate or sufficiently motivating. The first step in finding appropriate material would be to talk with the student to learn his or her interests. To find age-appropriate material the author searched Internet resources and then used Microsoft Word…

In the second half of the eighteenth century, intellectuals, stimulated by the sensualist theories of Etienne-Bonnot de Condillac (1714?80) and John Locke (1632?1704), tried to understand how a sensorially disabled person, such as one suffering from deafness or blindness was able to reason and develop ideas, for the senses were thought to be the…

This paper addresses orientation and mobility (O&M) training for people with multiple severe disabilities including visual impairments. The historical origins of O&M training are reviewed, noting difficulties with applying the traditional curriculum with such groups as very young children, the elderly, and those with multiple disabilities. A…

In this collection of interviews, the outgrowth of a symposium held in San Francisco, California, in July, 1981, librarians, students, and users of library services for blind and physically handicapped individuals express their thoughts and feelings about their experiences and about the attitudes they have encountered. Handicapped library users…

Quality education and rehabilitation programs for blind and visually impaired individuals are threatened by recent changes in federal and state education policy that favor noncategorical approaches in special education. Current special education policies are reviewed and suggestions are made for ways to avert domination by the interests of…

The article examines various philosophical and professional orientations of teachers of the visually impaired and appropriate service delivery for severely and profoundly retarded children with visual handicaps. Staff contact only, consultation and direct service, and direct services are three delivery models discussed. Frequency, motivation, and…

Some cautions regarding the early educational uses of optical aids with visually impaired children are suggested, based on widely held assumptions and recent findings in the fields of perception and reading. The change from the sight conservation era to one advocating the maximum use of remaining vision is traced. (Author/SW)

Visually impaired students can be given effective career counseling if attention is paid to five essential elements: (1) exposure to the world of work; (2) job aspirations; (3) knowledge of job availability; (4) daily living and social skills; and (5) resources. (SK)