Describes a study exploring the social dynamics within a typical preschool classroom that included a 3-year-old with severe visual impairments. Notes findings that this child was an active participant in shared social experiences with his peers, which contributed to his membership and acceptance. Discusses adult mediation and interpretation of the…

This article describes the establishment of Individual Development through Employment, Assessment, and Learning (IDEAL), a summer transition program for adolescents with blindness or visual impairments in Pennsylvania. The program emphasizes independence, work exploration, and social skills development. Data from participants, parents, and staff…

This article describes development of the Test for Manual Dexterity in Visually Impaired Children. The test was used to chart manual skills of 66 Norwegian children with visual impairments and 67 controls, and found significant differences among sighted children, children with low vision, and children who were blind. (Author/CR)

Describes the prevalence and patterns of vision impairment in the Sultanate of Oman. Reviews the types of special education and rehabilitation services offered and future priorities. Concludes that, although at present, few visually impaired children are receiving services, a special education system is evolving into a community-based approach to…

This article describes an innovative year-round program for students who live at a distance from San Francisco State University and examines its strengths and weaknesses based on feedback from instructors and students. The goal has been to develop a high-quality sustainable program without the need for substantial outside funding. (Contains…

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) has offered a personnel preparation program in orientation and mobility (O&M) since 1975. Since that time, nearly 400 individuals from the United States and numerous foreign countries have either received degrees or have become eligible for national U.S. certification in O&M. However, it…

The use and applications of new technologies in the education of the visually impaired have made substantial strides forward in recent years. New technology allows the visually impaired to enjoy better access to information, to read for themselves and, by extension, to improve their learning literacy. Nevertheless, despite the advances made in…

This article describes the work of a group of professionals in the United Kingdom known as the VIEW Braille Literacy Committee, committed to the development of teaching braille. Members meet each school term and have had the support of the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in realizing numerous projects aimed at improving access to…

Providing a better education for visually-impaired learners is an objective pursued by many scientists and academics. Over the last few decades, in particular, the introduction of new technologies into education has created a number of innovative tools to assist in improving educational methods. One of the key areas where such innovations can be…

A follow-up account of a mother's attempts to provide her blind daughter, now aged six, with knowledge of the physical world through the manipulation of three-dimensional objects and two-dimensional tactile representations. The case is made for the value of pictures to the development of children's understanding in general; and for the child who…

This report describes the outcomes of a one-year federally funded pilot study of 14 students with low vision or blindness (grades 3-6) and 13 teachers. The study was designed to generate practical classroom assessment procedures for measuring "learned helplessness" and recommendations for a conceptual intervention model for use in the classroom.…

The Georgia Parent Infant Network for Educational Services (PINES) is a home intervention program currently serving over 300 hearing impaired, visually impaired, and multihandicapped sensory impaired (MHSI) preschoolers. The infant-toddler evaluation component is described, with sections on screening and diagnosis, parent education concerning…

One in a series of published reports on selected Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) program areas, this report presents the record of accomplishments in library services to the disabled during fiscal year 1987 nationwide, including programs in Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The typical services reported include the recordings…

The booklet is designed to provide awareness training for the general public on the relationship between persons with disabilities and other members of society. The booklet is divided into six sections concerning persons who are mentally ill, hearing impaired, mentally retarded, mobility impaired, visually impaired, or have epilepsy. Background…

The document reports on a series of 18 regional workshops for school psychologists on assessment of visually handicapped students. Workshop topics are summarized, and materials indexed in an appendix are cross referenced for each topic: background information (social attitudes regarding vision loss, developmental implications); assessment (use of…