In this article, the authors contend that the effectiveness in studying foreign languages by students who are blind can be greatly increased with the use of a properly configured screen reader, Job Access With Speech (JAWS), and a braille display. They assert foreign language instruction should not be limited to auditory input from an instructor…

Instructors of postsecondary classes in statistics rely heavily on visuals in their teaching, both within the classroom and in resources like textbooks, handouts, and software, but this information is often inaccessible to students who are blind or visually impaired (BVI). The unique challenges involved in adapting both pedagogy and course…

Although recent advances make it easier than ever before for students with severe visual impairments to be fully accommodated in the music classroom, one of the most significant current challenges in this area is most music educators' unfamiliarity with current assistive technology. Fortunately, many of these tools are readily available and even…

Blind students are bound to make up a very small part of the population most university lecturers will encounter during their careers. Research to date shows that good communication between staff and student improves the chances of a successful outcome for both parties. The research does show, however, that the exercise seems to be one of…

The Computerized Braille Tutor is an interactive software tutorial that sighted persons can use to learn the literary braille code. The software presents 15 lessons that address different aspects of the literary braille code and include braille-translation exercises, proofreading exercises, and graded self-evaluation proficiency tests. (Author)

Discussion of assistive, or adaptive, technology highlights major technologies that help physically impaired individuals at home, work, and school. Technologies described include voice recognition, microswitches, communication boards, headsticks and mouthsticks, vision control, adaptive keyboards, word prediction software, electronic readers,…

Describes ways in which speech synthesizers and adaptive software for microcomputers enable visually impaired office workers and professionals to use computers in much the same way as their sighted colleagues. Several speech synthesizers and computer programs are described, as well as experiences of blind persons in a variety of positions. (MBR)

This article describes a software tutorial that can be used by people who are blind to learn the Nemeth Code of Braille mathematics notation. The program was designed for use with the Braille Lite, a note taker that has speech and a refreshable Braille display. The tutorial has 18 lessons. (CR)

This report describes activities and recommendations of the Texas Commission on Braille Textbook Production, which monitors the acquisition Commission on Braille Textbook Production. The primary purpose of the commission is to monitor the expeditious acquisition of publisher computerized files in the form of textbook diskettes which are needed for…

This article discusses the lack of preparation teachers of students with visual impairments have in the Nemeth Code (the Braille code for mathematics). It then describes a Windows-based tutorial for sighted persons to learn the Nemeth Code, a tutorial for teachers with blindness, and how to access the tutorials. (Contains 10 references.) (CR)

Describes experiences of United Kingdom's Open University blind students involved in "Computing and the Blind" project. Microcomputer applications described include braille-to-text transcription, word processing, and computer programming. Each application's use of software designed for commercially available microcomputer systems with…

Describes ways of using CD-ROM technology for the benefit of blind and visually impaired library patrons. Science, reference, and American historical documents that can be converted to braille, large print, or voice output from CD-ROMs are described, and hardware, software, and staff considerations are discussed. (LRW)

The paper examines ways in which computers have radically altered and improved the lives of handicapped students. The visually impaired have been helped through the use of computerized braillers, embossers, and readers. Both adaptations of off-the-shelf software and specialized software have provided the visually impaired with magnification of…

The following 25 papers (with their authors) are presented from a conference on computer technology in special education and rehabilitation: "Computers for Business--Computers for Life" (I. Keith Austin); "Rehabilitation and the Computer: How to Find What You Need" (Thomas Backer); "Computer Access Alternatives for Visually Impaired People in…