A survey examined attitudes of teachers toward children with visual impairment and implications for inclusion. Teachers with direct or indirect experience with students with either low vision or blindness held a more positive attitude toward inclusion than randomly selected teachers, but only toward students with low vision. Teachers demonstrated…

Reports on a longitudinal study of gross-motor development in 10 congenitally blind children during their first 3 years. Compared to developmental norms for sighted children, five full-term blind children showed slight delays in postural development but greater delays in locomotor development. Five preterm blind children showed major delays in all…

Teachers and parents completed the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) for 17 congenitally blind children (ages 4 to 11). The modified format ABC completed by teachers detected three of four children with pervasive developmental disorder without any false positives. (Author/SW)

Comparison of residential rehabilitation outcomes of blind clients with (n=45) or without (n=67) previous psychiatric diagnosis found no intergroup differences after rehabilitation in skill, attitude, and overall adjustment. All clients improved significantly during rehabilitation. (DB)

A study of 1,663 teachers of students with blindness or visual impairments addressed their perceived competence in reading and teaching braille, attitudes toward braille, and preservice training in braille. Most teachers were confident in their braille abilities, strongly supported use of braille with students, and were dissatisfied with their own…

This study evaluated the gains in capacity and mode of performance made by 57 elderly blind persons who were clients of an independent living services program in Mississippi. It was found that the gains in capacity were significant in all areas and the gains in mode of performance were significant for 41 of the 47 skill areas that were assessed.…

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test with 193 Indian children (ages 8-15) with visual impairments and the relationship between time to complete and test performance. Results indicated satisfactory validity and reliability and completion rates of 30 to 133 minutes. (DB)

Children and adolescents (n=40) with congenital or adventitious blindness were exposed to two unfamiliar environments. Evaluation of subjects' spatial representations (through construction of models and estimates of distance) found that age appeared to be more important than learning in their development of spatial representation skills. (DB)

A survey of 217 AER-certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMSs) found the median annual income for full-time employed COMSs was $39,000. Of the respondents, 63.7 were women, 91.5 percent were white, and the median age was 43 years. The majority entering into the field had master's degrees. (Contains references.) (CR)

Ratings by 23 parents and 21 regular education teachers of 20 elementary-aged students with blindness on the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) were compared to ratings for the SSRS sighted-norm group. Although no significant differences were found for overall ratings, students with blindness were rated as less academically competent and higher on…

This study assessed the possibility of guiding a person with blindness and intellectual disability during indoor travel with fewer auditory cues. Results indicated that infrequent presentation of the cues and the provision of extra cues in case of errors maintained high levels of independent moves, albeit of increased duration. (Author/CR)

Six of seven adolescents who attended a summer rehabilitation program at the Vacation Camp for the Blind (VCB) reported they were performing the majority of skills two months after they completed training at VCB. Parents' responses confirmed self-reports and noted the performance of new skills or skill improvement. (Contains eight references.) (CR)

A study investigated 171 mass transit operators' beliefs about blindness and the factors that may influence their beliefs. There were statistically significant differences among transit operators' beliefs on the basis of the operators' ethnicity. White participants had significantly fewer irrational beliefs about blindness than Hispanic and…

This study found that Nottingham Adjustment Scale items on acceptance of sight loss and attitudes toward blindness were free of response bias. Respondents (n=559) who were given only negative items disagreed significantly more with them than did those given mixed positive and negative statements. Respondents with poor emotional adjustment were…

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Division of Special Education (DSE), per Section 162.1136 RSMo, conducts an annual study of the educational status of eligible blind/visually impaired students and reports the findings to the Missouri Legislature on December 1st each year. The information contained in this report…