Assistive technologies are frequently used to help disabled students to access core and expanded core curricula and to improve their functional, communication and literacy skills. Non-optical low vision devices and optical and tactile graphics technologies are some of the assistive technologies used by visually impaired students in today's…

Developing braille literacy skills represents one of the major goals of the education process for students with vision impairment. Fluency and accuracy in reading and writing facilitate access to information, development of knowledge, active participation, functionality, and independence in social contexts. One of the essential factors that can…

It is difficult to read mathematical expressions in braille, whether or not in coordination with text to speech (TTS) synthesis. The researchers in this study investigated the effect of an intervention on the braille readers' performance in reading and comprehending mathematical expressions as well as the braille readers' ability to make…

A nationwide survey completed by 242 braille readers was undertaken to gather information on readers' current use of braille materials and their individual reading interests. The majority of respondents preferred braille as their primary reading medium, yet only 63% had borrowed braille materials from the library in the past year. Readers were…

This directory, in its revised and updated form, documents the existence of 46 braille music collections in 27 countries. The purpose of the directory is not to list specific braille music editions but to establish preliminary data that will facilitate the future compilation of an international catalog. Entries in the directory are arranged…

The guide provides accreditation standards for programs which transcribe printed matter into alternate media for blind and visually handicapped persons. Presented in a self study format, the booklet touches upon six aspects of the production of reading materials (sample subtopics in parentheses): planning and organization (administration,…

In order to develop a profile of the readership served by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), and to identify readers' interests and concerns as an aid to future program planning, a users survey was conducted during the autumn of 1979. After a questionnaire was designed and tested, NLS members were surveyed…

The Braille Readiness Skills Grid identifies activities and skills that foster braille readiness in children with visual impairments. The grid assesses five readiness areas: tactile, fine motor, listening/attention, concept, and book/story. It is intended to encourage systematic braille readiness activities from infancy and foster children's…

This booklet examines the role and outlines the activities of Australian libraries in meeting the educational, cultural, recreational, and information needs of the physically, sensorily, and mentally disabled. The origins of library services for the handicapped in Australia are discussed, existing services are reviewed, the library needs of…

This document presents perspectives on, and a reference guide to internationally interlending materials in alternate formats (recordings, braille, large print). A questionnaire was sent to the world's known libraries serving the blind; results of the survey include specific lending information from 29 countries including: South Africa, Hong Kong,…

This report discusses the outcomes of a project that addressed the need for comprehensive and sequential instructional materials to teach preservice and inservice teachers strategies for selecting appropriate literacy media for students with visual impairments. In this three-year project, called Project LMA (Learning Media Assessment),…

Designed to assist in the selection of appropriate literacy media for students with visual impairments, this guide outlines the essential elements of learning media assessments. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the learning media assessment (LMA) process. Included is a discussion of Texas law and regulations that govern LMA. Chapter 2 documents…