A national agenda for the education of children and youth with visual impairments has been developed by eight national organizations. Agenda goals focus on referrals, parent participation, personnel preparation, provision of educational services, array of services, assessments, access to instructional materials, and the core curriculum. The…

A project developed and evaluated an intermediate form of presentation that provides a virtual dynamic tactile display for use with computers that could complement static tactile displays of graphical material. The device is a two-dimensional extension of the tactile mouse and provides contour and slope information to the user. (Contains nine…

Describes Intermittent Central Suppression (ICS), a treatable eye malfunction that can make reading difficult. Reports that some students with ICS are not diagnosed through standard vision acuity tests and are misdiagnosed as learning disabled. Presents a study that found that students who were treated for ICS stayed in school longer than students…

In the last decade, the total student enrollment in public schools in the U.S. has increased by only 14%, whereas the number of English learners grew by 70% and is projected to grow even more (U.S. Bureau of Census, 2003). In 2003-2004, the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs…

This article describes federal and state laws that affect the opportunity of people with low vision to drive and to obtain driver's licenses. Discrimination against individuals with low vision is discussed in the context of equal protection and the Americans with Disabilities Act. A review of relevant case law and implications for drivers with low…

The authors present a checklist designed to help preschool and kindergarten administrators and teachers build confidence in their ability to be inclusive and to increase their awareness of the needs of children with disabilities. Teachers can use the checklist to prepare for the inclusion of a child with a disability. "Identifying potential…

In 2004, nearly 30,000 students were included in the blind or visually impaired (B/VI) category (approximately .04% of the total public school population). This figure, however, only includes children and youth for whom blindness or visual impairment is identified as a primary disability. States indicate that these numbers may actually double or…

Children with vision loss often have health care needs beyond those that are related to their vision. In 2006-2007, the Blind Childrens Center rendered more extensive services than ever before. Home visits, transportation services, medical appointments, hospital visits, mediations, meetings for individual educational/family service plans,…

The paper reviews approaches for making bibliographic instruction accessible to college students with visual, hearing, and mobility impairments. Needs assessment should focus on students, library staff, administrative officers, faculty members, and educational specialists. Consideration in program development should be given not only to special…

The University of Nebraska (with the help of the University of Northern Colorado) has established a program to provide practicing teachers with training qualifying them for the teaching certificate endorsement for teaching the visually handicapped. The program was especially designed to fill a state need for teachers of the visually handicapped…

Visually handicapped students (10-19 years old) at the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped receive training on computer equipment for word processing, computer literacy, programming, and computer assisted instruction. Hardware and software used in the program include the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the VersaBraille system, Total Talk, and…

Physical changes in and conditions of the eye associated with the normal aging process are discussed with reference to their impact on performance in physical and recreational activities. Descriptions are given of characteristic changes in visual acuity in the areas of: (1) presbyopia (inability to clearly focus near images); (2) sensitivity to…

The paper discusses creative dance experiences with visually and mentally handicapped persons. A brief introduction is followed by comments on sensory stimulation during infancy, mobility and orientation, physical education and recreation techniques, and approaches (such as biofeedback and progressive relaxation) to deal with stereotyped movement…

Summaries are presented of five conference papers on communication, control, and computer access for handicapped individuals. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Accessibility of Graphically Based User Interface Computer Systems for Individuals with Visual Impairments" (Charles Lee and Gregg Vanderheiden); "Data Base vs. Information…

Part I of the report presents findings from a survey of library resources for disabled persons in New South Wales, Australia. Survey results are organized according to the following topics: public libraries (materials, services, access, staffing); academic and special libraries (university libraries, college of advanced education libraries,…