The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law on December 10, 2015, requires that state education agencies (SEAs) establish standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for their English learners (ELs), including ELs with disabilities. For certain ELs with…

This report includes summaries of Minnesota student demographics, child count, enrollment counts, graduation rates, and assessment results for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years. The trend data reflects the achievements, milestones, and areas of concern for students with the primary disability classification of blind or visually impaired (BVI)…

The article develops two contrasting themes: (1) the prime importance of braille as the medium of literacy available to blind persons; and (2) the widely perceived deemphasis of braille instruction in the United States. Resolutions of the American Council of the Blind encouraging increased and improved braille instruction are summarized.…

This report presents an evaluation of Florida's Blind Babies Program, which provides community-based, early intervention education to visually impaired or blind children from birth through age 5 and to their parents, families, and caregivers. The evaluation found that: (1) the Division of Blind Services had not developed an adequate accountability…

Transition from secondary education to adulthood represents a period during which adolescents with disabilities face multiple responsibilities and changing roles that include establishing independence, attending postsecondary education or training, developing social networks, choosing a career, participating in their communities, and managing…

This report looks at demographic concepts related to persons with blindness or visual impairment, such as population changes and employment changes. A "New Demographics" is proposed which would consider the entire individual, the variety of social groups, and limitations in the social environment rather than the disability. (DB)

This national study of 107 blind and visually impaired adults found that they want new information services using the telephone and are willing to pay for such services. They also felt their privacy should be protected and that local telephone companies should be allowed to originate information services and products. (Author/DB)

The article discusses the cooperative relationship between the Council of Agency Administrators, which comprises 17 not-for-profit New York State agencies, and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. The role of each organization is examined and hopes for future collaborative efforts are outlined. (Author/JDD)

The article traces the experiences of the Malaysian Association for the Blind in developing rehabilitation services for rural blind persons. It explains the rationale for a community-based approach to rehabilitation and concludes that center-based and community-based approaches to rehabilitation complement each other in bringing services to rural…

This report provides background information to the Virginia Board of Education and the Virginia Department of Education for implementation of a policy which makes major program changes at Virginia's two Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Hampton and Staunton. The information covers a history of the schools, current school programs and services,…

Two meetings of the International Federation of Library Associations Section of Libraries for the Blind (BLISTA) are summarized. The first was an expert meeting which was held in Marburg/Lahn, Federal Republic of Germany, in August 1983. Participants included 51 librarians and technical experts serving blind and physically disabled individuals in…

This article discusses the development of state licensure standards for specialists in orientation and mobility by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, outlines efforts to obtain licensure in Tennessee, and presents a strategy for pursuing state licensure in other states. (Author/DB)

This article identifies current problems that act as barriers to improved and expanded services and opportunities for blind and visually impaired people and their families, such as detachment of medical profession from service delivery, automatic student promotions, expectation of specialized programs in every district, parental choice of schools,…

Developed as part of a project to encourage state-wide collaborative agreements between education and rehabilitation agencies involved in the transition of blind and visually handicapped students (ages 16-25) from school into the work force, the report describes 18 programs diverse in location, design, funding, philosophy, and administration that…

This report describes activities and recommendations of the Texas Commission on Braille Textbook Production, which monitors the acquisition Commission on Braille Textbook Production. The primary purpose of the commission is to monitor the expeditious acquisition of publisher computerized files in the form of textbook diskettes which are needed for…