This study assessed theory of mind understanding in children with congenital profound visual impairment (CPVI): children who have had no access to visual information throughout development. Participants were 18 children with CPVI and no other impairments, aged between 5 and 11 years, and 18 children with normal vision, matched individually on…

This document contains four papers, discussing medical and sociocultural aspects of disability, presented at a national conference on the nonwhite disabled. In "Some Observations on Blacks and Physical Disability," Thornhill and Torres note the higher prevalence of physical disability among blacks and cite the example of more frequent lower…

The first of five articles in this journal reports on a project aimed at studying the influence of the way in which problems of arithmetic are worded. Some variables in the wording were found to affect the performance of children, and terms were isolated which increased the percentage of failure. The second article describes a technique for…

Investigated was the ability of 18 blind and 18 partially sighted students in grades 4 through 12 to use the Aural Study System, which features unique indexing capabilities for searching recorded reference materials, to locate encyclopedia and dictionary items within practical time limits. Analyses were made of the time required to locate items,…

The 1974 National Conference for Librarians for the Blind and Physically Handicapped was held May 13-16 in Washington, D.C. This report summarizes and answers the questions raised there on such topics as: (1) regulations on the use of materials; (2) copyright, free mailing privileges, and general postal regulations; (3) procurement, distribution,…

Presented is the CI-TAB (Career Information and Training Activities for the Blind) Secondary Program, a program providing career education for visually handicapped and blind high-school students to be available in braille and cassette recordings. Five general discussions (each including a list of concepts covered, suggested learning activities,…

A study investigated two cohorts ((n=16) and (n=15)) of graduates (1993-99) from a state residential school for individuals with visual impairments in the areas of employment, living arrangements and finances, postsecondary education, leisure activities, and usefulness of high school experiences. More Cohort 2 participants were working full time…

The manual development of 148 blind, visually impaired, and visually impaired multi-handicapped students, aged 3-19, was studied. Results indicated a significant relationship between object manipulation and speech, and an inverse relationship between object manipulation and stereotypic hand mannerisms. Optimal development of manual functions and…

Examined consequences of vision loss among older adults. Respondents reporting visual decline were older than those reporting good vision, but not different in any other demographic characteristic, use of formal support and health services, or activities of daily living (ADL) functioning. Controlling for age and sex, vision loss was associated…

This survey of 249 state and private agencies and schools for blind and visually impaired persons found that 149 offered recreation services. The survey addressed the recreation personnel's employment status, educational background and continuing education experiences, professional affiliation, and interest in networking with other recreation…

Analysis of questionnaires completed by parents of 91 young blind children and 74 matched sighted children indicated that sighted children engaged in more complex levels of play at an earlier age; blind children interacted less frequently with other children than did sighted children; blind children preferred tactile-auditory games and toys; and…

Teachers and habilitative specialists (n=120) of multiply handicapped blind and deaf-blind children in Massachusetts responded to a survey on the use of assistive technology. Respondents reported problems in knowledge of electronic mobility aids and communication devices; the availability, maintenance, and funding of devices; and adequate…

Historically, specialized schools for the blind were the only options for educational programming available to students with visual impairments. Throughout the 19th century and into the mid-20th century, the instruction in specialized schools consisted primarily of the core curriculum or academic areas (Zebehazy & Whitten, 1998). Current…

A rating scale of verbal and nonverbal behaviors in employment interviews was developed and applied to simulated interviews involving former clients of a blind rehabilitation center. Personnel managers who rated the interviews perceived negative behaviors (e.g., rigid, motionless facial expression) as more important than positive behaviors (e.g.,…

A study investigated similarities and differences in the views of experienced vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors serving African Americans who are blind or visually impaired. A total of 26 counselors, 11 of whom were African American, reported their views in structured telephone interviews. In general, there were more similarities than…