An analysis of legal and factual bases for designing an appropriate program for sensorily impaired children, consistent with P.L. 94-142, The Education For All Handicapped Children Act, asserts that state schools for the deaf and blind must continue to exist. (CL)

Two students (ages 7 and 8) who were totally blind with profound motor impairments and mental retardation were provided with optic microswitches. The use of optic microswitches for simple hand responses, combined with the availability of pleasant stimuli for the responses, proved successful with both students. (Contains 9 references.) (CR)

Thirty-three schools responded to a survey of 87 schools providing residential services for deaf, blind, and multihandicapped hearing-impaired individuals. The survey, focusing on characteristics of caregivers and systems of residential care, found great diversity among salaries, qualifications, and upgrade systems, although job titles were…

This article reviews the theoretical and research literature on vision stimulation and vision training of children with severe irreversible visual impairments. It recommends early stimulation to prevent visual deprivation, use of operant conditioning, and the presentation of highly contrasting stimuli to stimulate visual awareness in children with…

Described are the steps involved in revising the Peabody Mobility Scale (PMS), an instrument for assessing the orientation and mobility skills of multiply handicapped blind children. Among the revision procedures discussed are a redefinition of item content for mobility and prerequisite skills, and alteration of the format to that of an easily…

Described are the development and field testing of programed instruction in orientation and mobility for 41 multiply handicapped blind students. Based on initial assessment on the Peabody Mobility Scale, it is explained that the students were prescribed individualized tasks in the areas of motor development, sensory skills, concept development and…

The demonstration project assessed an innovative approach to the provision of remunerative work for evaluation, training, and employment purposes in sheltered workshops for 291 blind individuals who also were limited by vocationally significant intellectual, physical, emotional, and/or social disabilities. The multiply handicapped subgroup of the…

Presented is an evaluation of a pre-placement program designed to improve the performance of 15 multi-handicapped blind children (4-10 years old) in activities of daily living, and to involve the parents in the children's education. Among findings reported are that all but one of the Ss improved in activities of daily living as measured by the…

An evaluation of an intensive training program for 44 multiply handicapped adults who could not use other rehabilitation programs is described. (Author/BD)

Visual accents can create unique communication graphics to increase attending behavior necessary for learning symbol/referent relationships by students with severe vision loss. Accenting procedures use size, color, contrast, shape, and graphic pattern to enhance the probability that the learner will self-initiate attending to the visual symbol.…

In 2004, nearly 30,000 students were included in the blind or visually impaired (B/VI) category (approximately .04% of the total public school population). This figure, however, only includes children and youth for whom blindness or visual impairment is identified as a primary disability. States indicate that these numbers may actually double or…