Describes the growth of service through program improvement and technical development at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress. (MBR)

The article describes the Project on Aging, which was undertaken by the Virginia Commission for the Visually Handicapped to avoid the institutionalization of elderly blind persons. (Author/DLS)

The article describes the Job Seeking Skills Program established by the Oregon Commission for the Blind at its Portland Vocational Development Center, in which blind people are taught how to find a job commensurate with their capabilities. (Author/DLS)

This article presents a brief history of the Chinese braille system and the Chinese character structure, discusses the present Chinese sound-generated braille system and its limitations, and proposes some refinements of the present system and some techniques for instruction. (Author/JDD)

This article reviews the Talking Book technology and the trend of audio technology toward digitization in compact discs, digital audiotape, and digital transmission. The article concludes that in terms of flexibility, ease of use, and economy, the present technology in the form of analog cassettes and flexible disks is the most suitable.…

Reviews developments in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the education of children with visual impairments. Highlights include the population of children with visual impairments in the United Kingdom; and World Health Organization classification of disability as a criteria by which the relevance of ICT can be measured.…

This article discusses the interactive nature of modern actuated intersections and the effect of that interface on pedestrians who are visually impaired. Information is provided about accessible pedestrian signals (APS), the role of blindness professionals in APS installation decisions, and techniques for crossing streets with APS.

Visual impairment, although often unidentified, is common in people with learning disabilities. However, despite the high incidence of sight problems, little guidance has been produced on accessible information for this varied "group" of individuals. This paper, which develops the Information for All guidance [Rodgers et al.…

In 2003, Touch Graphics Company carried out research on a new invention that promises to improve accessibility to science museums for visitors who are visually impaired. The system, nicknamed Ping!, allows users to navigate an exhibit area, listen to audio descriptions, and interact with exhibits using a cell phone-based interface. The system…

The eyes of premature infants are especially vulnerable to injury after birth. A serious complication is called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which is abnormal growth of the blood vessels in an infant's eye. Retinopathy of prematurity develops when abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina, which is the nerve tissue at the…

The results of an empirical investigation into how visually-impaired people sense their surroundings show that a range of environmental features can be identified using sound, touch and smell. The information gained is relevant to the design of tactile maps, to ensure that an area is represented in a way that is meaningful to the map users.…

The National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind is the first and longest running registry and knowledge base of children who are deaf-blind in the world. It represents a 25 year collaborative effort between NCDB, its predecessors and each state deaf-blind project throughout the country, as well as those projects funded in the…

Although members of the general public have often heard of the terms "genetic engineering" and, more recently, genomics, they typically have little to no knowledge about these topics, and in some cases are confused about basic concepts in these areas. There is currently a need for teaching models to explain concepts behind genomics.…

Comparison of a variety of vision screening methods used with preschool children led to modification of the standard Snellen E test called the Blackbird Vision Screening System. An instructional story using an "E-bird" was developed to teach children the various possible positions of the E. The visual confusion caused by the chart was…

A project summary and 20 related papers are presented on the Argonne Braille Machine, a device which produces braille-equivalent information on magnetic tape rather than embossing dots on paper. The summary traces the machine's development while 10 papers cover such issues as user reactions, evaluation proposals, use and care of the machine, the…