In an earlier study of disabled graduates from campus-based institutions in the UK, students who had previously declared that they had an unseen disability were less likely to obtain good degrees (with first-class or upper second-class honours). The present study investigated the role of disability as a factor in the attainment and experiences of…

The review examines six personal computer-based optical character recognition (OCR) systems designed for use by blind and visually impaired people. Considered are OCR components and terms, documentation, scanning and reading, command structure, conversion, unique features, accuracy of recognition, scanning time, speed, and cost. (DB)

Studied how Rasch analysis could be used to reduce the number of items in an instrument while maintaining credible psychometric properties. Applied the approach to the Visual Function-14 developed to measure the need for and outcomes of cataract surgery. Results show how Rasch analysis can be useful in designing modifications of instruments. (SLD)

This article reviews the literature on the various components of long canes and reports on a study of the knowledge and preferences of 100 adults with visual impairments regarding the various components and types of canes. Results indicated that the terrain of a route, weather conditions, mobility demand, and purpose of an outing are important…

This article reports on the ability of observers who are sighted and those with low vision to make time-to-collision (TTC) estimations using video. The TTC estimations made by the observers with low vision were comparable to those made by the sighted observers, and both groups made underestimation errors that were similar to those that were…

This article reviews current knowledge about how the visual system recognizes letters and words, and the impact on reading when parts of the visual system malfunction. The physiology of eye and brain places important constraints on how we process text, and the efficient organization of the neurocognitive systems involved is not inherent but…

The report describes a project designed to test the feasibility of adapting off-the-shelf educational software to a speech synthesizer compatible with Apple personal computers for visually impaired students. Fifteen visually impaired children were administered pretests and posttests for auditory discrimination, computer literacy, keyboard…

This article reports findings of a mail survey of 519 managers in blindness services on their preferences for management training seminars. Preferences vary somewhat according to management level; there is little or no variation by region, public versus private auspices, education versus rehabilitation, or time in present position. (Author/PB)

Three techniques were used to identify blind/visually impaired people in Sri Lanka. Utilizing key informants identified the greatest number of blind people in the most efficient manner, compared to utilizing students from local schools and conducting house-to-house surveys. All three methods showed relatively high false positive rates. (Author/JDD)

This article profiles the program delivery models, funding sources, and faculty demographics of 43 personnel preparation programs in 2002-03. It shows that there was an increase in the number of programs and fulltime faculty and a greater diversity of delivery models, although the number of tenure-track positions declined.

Four experiments evaluated AMLA temporal version accuracy to measure relative luminosity in people with and without color blindness and, consequently, to provide the essential information to avoid poor figure-background combinations in any possible "specific screen-specific observer" pair. Experiment 1 showed that two very different…

Vision impairment affects approximately 17% of Americans age 45 and older. Yet, 94% of adults with self-reported vision loss did not receive any type of vision rehabilitation services to help them retain independence. These findings underscore the need for promoting awareness about what can be done when vision fails. A national dissemination…

The rapid increase in the number of students with visual impairments currently being educated in inclusive general physical education makes it important that physical education instructors know how best to serve them. Assessment of the experiences of students with visual impairments during general physical education classes, knowledge of students'…

Evaluation of performance on the Preschool Language Scale of 18 low-vision children (two to four years old) found lower performance than for sighted peers, especially on the Auditory Comprehension Quotient, the Verbal Ability Quotient, and the overall Language Quotient. (Author/DB)

The purpose of this article is to review the essential features of the Perkins-Binet Tests of Intelligence for the Blind, and to discuss problems and limitations in the test kit and manual. Recommendations are also made for smoother administration of both forms of the test. (Author/BW)