Teachers (n=72) of students with visual impairments in Kentucky completed a survey to identify assistive technologies currently used by their students and to identify teachers' training needs. Although teachers had access to and used computer-based technologies, they lacked training and support for teaching specific technologies to their students,…

Evaluates outSPOKEN, a Windows 95 screen reader for people with visual disabilities. Evaluates the program for installation and documentation (good), Word 97 (good), WordPerfect 8.0 (less than good), and Internet Explorer and Navigator (a little less than good). Provides specific suggestions for improving performance and steps for selecting a…

In recent years, latent class models have proven useful for analyzing relationships between measured multiple indicators and covariates of interest. Such models summarize shared features of the multiple indicators as an underlying categorical variable, and the indicators' substantive associations with predictors are built directly and indirectly…

Over the past 20 years, there has been an increased emphasis on health promotion, including prevention activities related to vision and oral health, for the general population, but not for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). This review explores what is known about the prevalence of vision problems and oral health conditions among…

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 university students with visual, hearing, and motor impairments to determine their use and perception of campus library services. Ss, who majored in a wide range of disciplines, rated their use of library services. Most frequent use was reported by students with motor impairments, while 21% of…

The report describes the second year of a survey of sensory impaired children in Nebraska. It is explained that results have been used to improve administrative planning and cost efficient delivery of services. Demographic and assessment information was collected and analyzed on 888 sensory impaired children (birth to 21) via questionnaires…

Traditional procedures for assessing and stimulating residual vision are often ineffective with deaf-blind and severely handicapped children. Common eye disorders, visual assessment procedures, and vision stimulation components are described. (JN)

The article describes and evaluates a model school/community project providing assessment and supportive services for mainstreamed visually handicapped children. (PHR)

This article reports on information provided by 109 teachers regarding the use of large type and optical devices, discussing teachers' confidence in instructing students to use optical devices, the criteria used to choose reading modes for individual children, and other issues. Cost factors and availability of large-type materials are also…

The self-concepts of 61 visually impaired students in grades 6 to 8 were tested with the "Student's Self-Assessment Inventory: Visually Impaired Form." Results demonstrate the area-specific nature of self-concept in visually impaired students. A sample individualized education program demonstrates enhancement of self-concept through focusing on…

Two groups of deaf college students, including 104 deaf from congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) and 138 deaf from other reasons, received complete audiometric assessments and ophthalmological examinations. Degree of hearing loss did not differ between groups. However, 7 visual problems were found to be more prevalent with the CRS population.…

In an age of inclusion, schools for blind children may seem an outdated delivery model. Student outcomes show that these placement options are justifiable, legitimate, and critically essential for many children. Although specialized schools are more expensive, they provide more services and produce well-qualified graduates. (MLH)

Purpose: We investigate whether psychological control, conceptually framed within the life-span theory of control by Heckhausen and Schulz, drives assistive device use in visually impaired elders. In particular, we expect the two primary control modes differentiated in the life-span theory of control (i.e., selective primary and compensatory…

This study found that a large number of students with visual impairments in public and private schools in New South Wales come from culturally diverse backgrounds, that teacher training does not incorporate multicultural perspectives, and that instructors and itinerant vision teachers lack knowledge and skills to teach from a multicultural…

"Words and Concepts" is a computer software program that focuses on building oral language skills related to vocabulary, comprehension, word relationships, and other concepts in six units--vocabulary, categorization, word identification by function, word association, concept of same, and concept of different. It can be used by adults and…