The fourth in a series of Rand reports on information transfer problems of the partially sighted reviews earlier reports and describes an experimental secretarial closed circuit TV (CCTV) system which enables the partially sighted to type from a printed or handwritten manuscript. Discussed are experiments using a pseudocolor system to determine…

The National Center for the Education of the Blind has conducted experiments which involved nine partially sighted adults to assess the use of microfiche as a reading aid for partially sighted students. It was shown that microfiche is a positive complement to other reading aids. (Author/SBH)

The development of the concept of conservation was examined in 120 elementary school children divided into three groups: partially sighted, sighted, and sighted-blindfolded. (CM)

A test of 32 children's hip and knee extensors found that children born blind or with low vision are at risk of developing weak lower-limb extensors, with congenitally blind children at greatest risk. After correcting for lean body weight, the differences between sighted children and those with low vision were insignificant. Results support the…

Fifty adults (ages 28-86) with macular degeneration were given the Low Vision Reading Comprehension Assessment (LVRCA) to test its reliability and validity in evaluating the reading comprehension of those with vision impairments. The LVRCA was found to take only nine minutes to administer and was a valid and reliable tool. (CR)

Sighted (n=37), partially sighted (n=20), and blind (n=17) participants answered questions about their expression and interpretation of verbal and nonverbal cues during telephone conversations, face-to-face encounters, and dating. The groups used an equal number of cues. Results have implications for developing specific communication skills of…

Ten children (ages 7-10) with visuoperceptual problems were compared to sighted children on lexical decision tasks with words, nonwords, and format distorted items. The partially sighted children relied on phonological mediation as well as the "visual" route in word recognition. Regularity effects, as well as effects of intact and disrupted…

This article illustrates use of the alternating treatment design to assess effectiveness of individualized interventions in low vision rehabilitation. The design was used to determine whether enlarging copy (to one of two magnification levels) and adding contrast would be effective in reducing the time a visually impaired student required to read…

Evaluation of the use of repeated readings to increase the reading fluency of four elementary students with low vision found the intervention was effective in improving all four students' reading fluency without adversely affecting error rates or comprehension. Students' improved reading rates also generalized to classroom reading. (DB)

Thirty-seven students who were blind or had low vision listed as many examples of 10 categories as they could and the prototype order of examples was scored. No differences between blind or low-vision students were found, but categories with which the students had a greater degree of direct sensory experience produced more examples and higher…

Intended for teacher educators, the document provides four presentations on the methods and effectiveness of the Braille Speed Reading Institute. A general background of the Institute by A. Ensign traces the development of the project from a request made by a teacher of the blind and partially sighted to the completion and finalization of details…

Using Jean Piaget's theory of spatial development, a study was undertaken to identify the development of spatial concepts in 48 blind, partially sighted, and sighted 4-to-7-year-old children through the use of tactual recognition of shapes. (Author/PHR)

A research project evaluated the use of a color, closed-circuit television (CCTV) for teaching 9 students (ages 9 through 14) with deaf-blindness. Students demonstrated an increased level of visual attention, increased motivation, and increased awareness of the relationship between an object or picture and its screen representation. (Author/DB)

This survey explored the numbers and proportion of partially sighted, blind braille reading and blind non-braille reading students in Higher Education (HE) in 2003-4. As part of a HEFCE/DELNI funded project, all 134 disability offices in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England and Northern Ireland were contacted by telephone and email, to…

One of a series on the visual information transfer problems of the partially sighted, the report contains a detailed description of the double X-Y platform, a mechanical device used in conjunction with a closed circuit television system to permit users to read printed or handwritten materials and to take notes on or copy from the material. Also…