This paper addresses orientation and mobility (O&M) training for people with multiple severe disabilities including visual impairments. The historical origins of O&M training are reviewed, noting difficulties with applying the traditional curriculum with such groups as very young children, the elderly, and those with multiple disabilities. A…

The paper focuses on educational services for blind and visually impaired children in Canada with emphasis on Ontario from the point of view of an administrator of a large rehabilitation agency. The existence is noted of five schools for the blind in Canada serving primarily multihandicapped populations. Effects of Ontario Bill 82 (1985) have…

In response to the urgent need of visually handicapped social work students for special help with their reading assignments, the Social Work Library at Adelphi University (New York) instituted a new and unique service: the Taping Program for Visually Handicapped Social Work Students. Until that time, the options opened to the visually impaired…

An orientation and mobility curriculum developed in Tulare County, California, includes 30 units for legally blind, partially sighted, multi-impaired, and low functioning sighted students in grades K through 12. Each section includes eight steps to teach basic concepts. Assessment guidelines are used to determine strengths and deficiencies. The 30…

Interactive classroom television (ICTS) systems were installed in two special education classrooms to evaluate their impact on the learning experiences of severely visually impaired students. During a 3-year experimental period, data were collected from approximately 14 elementary students measuring achievement, visual-motor integration, visual…

While reading has been recognized as a potentially useful and enjoyable pastime for the elderly, physical and psychological decrements affect the ability of the elderly to read. As the eyes age, near-point tasks become more difficult. In addition to reduced sensory intake, perceptual changes occur. The central nervous system slows, and data travel…

This study presented 24 third graders drawn from suburban elementary schools with high frequency, low discriminability words in four conditions. Subjects were randomly assigned to the four tasks individually. It was hypothesized that poor and normal readers would differ in their ability to read high frequency, low discriminability words presented…

The conference report on planning usable, accessible educational facilities for physically handicapped (orthopedically, visually, and aurally impaired) children features guidelines for eliminating indoor and outdoor architectural barriers. In developing and evaluating the guidelines, the Tennessee School Planning Laboratory analyzed plans of other…

A study was initiated with 60 blind children (kindergarten through grade 2) in order to validate the order of a sequence of tactual discrimination tasks leading to the use of braille and the Optacon. Ss were tested with tasks designed for the readiness level (discrimination of large solid geometric shapes, flat puzzle pieces, embossed dot…

This report describes different methods used by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Texas Tech University to provide training to rural teachers in serving students with visual impairments. Distance education is well-suited to the problem of rural personnel preparation. UAB uses videotaped lessons in conjunction with on-campus…

The paper describes the community residence and independent living services offered by Perkins School for the Blind which serves multi-impaired, blind, visually impaired, and deaf blind individuals. The first part reviews existing community living options and emphasizes the need for thorough diagnosis, extensive training in daily living skills and…

A project to develop and evaluate a bar code reader system as a self-directed information and instructional aid for handicapped nonreaders is described. The bar code technology involves passing a light sensitive pen or laser over a printed code with bars which correspond to coded numbers. A system would consist of a portable device which could…

Disabled students slotted into regular classrooms may exhibit difficulties in auditory perception, sound blending, auditory closure, visual perception, language usage, or a combination of the above. Certain techniques exist, however, that teachers may employ to aid these students. Among these techniques are success structuring and behavior…

Research in the United States and abroad has led to advances in rehabilitation technology that enables blind and visually impaired persons to compete with sighted persons for employment. Relatively inexpensive devices such as pocket calculators, transistor radios, cassette recorders, and digital watches have become aids for the blind; some…

Four papers address issues related to affective competencies needed by teachers of visually handicapped students. In "Role of the Home and Parent in Enhancing Self-Concept," T. Galloway, a parent, describes her experiences in coping with her multiply handicapped child's disabilities and in helping him to feel good about himself. C. Leonard…