This article describes the development of a mechanism to organize a network in Florida for individuals who are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. The task force comprised representatives from governmental, academic, professional, and voluntary organizations. It worked to educate professionals, patients, and the public through brochures, resource…

The role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities is examined. The ILO's recent emphasis on community-based training and employment programs, social reintegration of disabled citizens through self-employment and union-generating activities, and special programs for…

Discusses meeting ADA guidelines when purchasing permanent signs for schools. Provides ADA guidelines and discusses the use of raised characters and braille. Notes that ADA guidelines are not the same thing as building codes; noncompliance is enforced through the Justice Department. (GR)

This article discusses the evolution of the group model for the Adaptive Skills Program used by the New York Lighthouse Vision Rehabilitation Services. Recommendations are provided for program site selection, transportation, consumer selection and group size, program schedule, and curriculum. The benefits of group instruction are described.…

This article reports on a one-day workshop in New York to provide practical information and training for teaching assistants working in the mainstream classroom setting with students who have visual impairments. The workshop provided information on "myths" versus "facts" of visual impairment, eye conditions, orientation and mobility, technology,…

This article describes the components of distance education courses and provides examples of activities that one professor used in a program to prepare teachers of children with visual impairments using a combination of live and Internet delivery. The advantages and disadvantages of this combined model are discussed. (Contains references.)…

This article discusses the distance education program of the Hadley School for the Blind. The school provides correspondence courses free of charge to people with visual impairments and their families, as well as to professionals and paraprofessionals in the field of visual impairment. Programs and services are described. (Contains three…

Describes the work of legally blind gym teacher Steve Sloan, asserting that he sees and shares the big picture in teaching and molding his elementary school students. In his class, challenges are viewed as opportunities. (EV)

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…

It is now commonplace for horse riding to be included in the extra-curricular activities of students with physical disabilities. In this article an account is given of how visually impaired people can derive physical, mental, and emotional benefits from this supervised activity. It is argued that the rider, in learning to exercise self-control and…

Since 2002, the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NMSBVI) in Alamogordo, New Mexico, has worked to create a partnership with the "Centro de Capacitacion para Invidentes" in Durango, Mexico, and the "Instituto de Asesoria y Apoyo para Ciegor" in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The purpose of this association was to…

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 the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB), its predecessors and each state/multi-state deaf-blind project…

This paper describes special education for children with visual impairments, hearing impairments, and intellectual impairments in China, especially in the city of Beijing. It reports a long history of special schools for individuals with visual impairments (since 1874), noting curriculum components at one school for the blind including braille,…

This paper offers a method for evaluating individuals with visual impairments to determine the use of appropriate assistive technologies. The method is based on the HAAT model, which concentrates on the interaction of three factors: Human, Activity, and Assistive Technology. The evaluation process involves six steps: referral and intake, initial…

This bulletin describes the activities of the PAM Assistance Centre, a project supported by Michigan Special Education Services. The bulletin focuses on the Centre's role in nurturing quality educational opportunities for students with disabilities. The paper outlines several challenges in adapting to the uniqueness of a child with a physical or…