Introduction: Social skills are acquired primarily through imitation using the visual system. As a result, people with visual impairments may experience difficulties in this area at any age, which can have a major effect on their social participation and on their quality of life. The objective of this study was to systematically review the effects…

Introduction: This work investigates if simple two-dimensional (2D) tactile shapes can facilitate encoding, retention, and retrieval of associated information in the form of one-word labels. It also questions the need for the resemblance of tactile graphics with respective visual referents. Methods: Four experiments were conducted using recall…

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether individuals with congenital blindness make more recognizable drawings of known objects that are furniture sized (table, man, tree) rather than hand sized (egg, coconut, banana; Hypothesis 1). We also investigated whether knowledge that the tactile drawings had been produced by people who…

This article discusses findings on schooling, pedagogy and notation in the life-experiences of amateur and professional visually-impaired musicians/music teachers, and the professional experiences of sighted music teachers who work with visually-impaired learners. The study formed part of a broader UK Arts and Humanities Research Council funded…

Rehabilitation professionals working with students with disabilities and the families of those students face unique challenges in providing inclusive services to special education student populations. There needs to be a focus on adaptive teaching methods that provide quality experience for students with varying disabilities to promote student…

Diagram describing texts are integral part of science and engineering subjects including geometry, physics, engineering drawing, etc. In order to understand such text, one, at first, tries to draw or perceive the underlying diagram. For perception of the blind students such diagrams need to be drawn in some non-visual accessible form like tactile…

The article presents an historical review of specialized education for blind and visually impaired children in India and specifically addresses the issue of mainstreaming these students into integrated settings. Data and discussion of rural education projects and teacher training programs are outlined. (Author/DB)

Rehabilitation services for visually impaired adults in India are described, both historically and currently. The paper examines the magnitude of the problem, vocational training and placement, services for newly blind persons and for blind/visually handicapped women, rural rehabilitation projects, information access, legislation, professional…

Suggesting that research in India on visual handicaps is still in its infancy, this article reviews Indian research on the following topics: visually handicapped education; psychoeducational assessment; guidance, counseling, and crisis management; rehabilitation; vocational training and employment; community-based outreach extension services;…

A 5-year research and demonstration project in rural India which trains rehabilitation workers to provide services to blind persons is described. (CL)

The article presents historical background and prevalence data on the population of visually impaired and blind children of India. The establishment of government sponsored and private programs is discussed. Integrated education, research, and priorities for the future are also addressed. (Author)