New technological developments allow even the most severely visually handicapped person to read print, sense images, and operate calculators and meters. One of these new developments is the Optacon, which converts printed images to vibrations sensed by finger touch, and may be used to read print, handwriting, and calculator displays. Another device, the Visio- Substitutuion System, converts visual images to vibrations over a 10-inch area of the user's back, enabling him to sense a complete image. The Binary-coded Output Display is designed to allow reading of measuring units such as meters and counters. The technology of tactile illustration is improving, both with commercially available tactile maps and illustrations and with materials (such as aluminum foil, paper and screen, and cellophane) adaptable to individual needs. Other educational aids useful to the visually handicapped include the abacus, the geoboard (with fixed pegs over which rubber bands are stretched to teach number theory and geometry), origami, models, mockups, and realia. Teachers and librarians thus have a variety of devices available to help improve their services to the visually handicapped. (LS)