Introduction: Students with visual impairments represent a low-incidence disability group with poor postschool outcomes. Educators who support these students at the transition-age level need access to high-quality training and resources. Method: I surveyed 87 special educators and teachers of students with visual impairments in a southeastern…

Introduction: "High-tech" assistive technology (AT) plays a critical role in the lives and educational experiences of students with visual impairments (i.e. those who are blind or have low vision). However, little is known about how these students actually use AT within their educational programs. Methods: A survey examining AT use and…

Introduction: Because of the preponderance of visual images, many mathematics texts are wholly or largely inaccessible to students who are blind. This study investigated how much description is sufficient to communicate math content in different types of images. Methods: Representative math textbooks from grades five, eight, and 11, aligned to the…

This single-subject study explored the effects of different mounting systems of prescribed near magnification (handheld, stand-mounted, spectacle-mounted, and electronic) on reading performance and preference in students with low vision. Participants included five students ranging from 3rd to 11th grade, and with various etiologies. Reading…

The association made between the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of a word has been shown to help children remember the meanings of words. The present study addressed whether the presence of a target word in Braille during instruction facilitated vocabulary learning more efficiently than an auditory-only instructional condition. The authors…

The cost of attending to a visual event can be the failure to consciously detect other events. This processing limitation is well illustrated by the attentional blink paradigm, in which searching for and attending to a target presented in a rapid serial visual presentation stream of distractors can impair one's ability to detect a second target…

More than 67,000 preschoolers with disabilities across five states were examined for disproportionate special education eligibilities using risk ratios (RRs). Results indicated children classified as American Indian (RR = 2.25) and Black (RR = 1.64) were disproportionate in one state, whereas children classified as Asian, Hispanic, and White…

The article describes the process and activities of the outreach phase of the Model Vision Project (Tennessee) for multihandicapped and visually impaired children and youth. The project has two replication sites for the purpose of stimulating awareness and for which the model provides technical assistance. (PHR)

THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO CONFIRM (1) THAT A SHORT PERIOD OF EXPERIMENTAL TEACHING ENHANCES THE VISUAL BEHAVIOR OF PARTIALLY SIGHTED CHILDREN TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VISUAL DISCRIMINATION TEST SCORES AND (2) THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RECORDED NEAR-VISION ACUITY OF EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS…

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)

The conference report on planning usable, accessible educational facilities for physically handicapped (orthopedically, visually, and aurally impaired) children features guidelines for eliminating indoor and outdoor architectural barriers. In developing and evaluating the guidelines, the Tennessee School Planning Laboratory analyzed plans of other…

Providing Access to the Visual Environment (Project PAVE) is a statewide multidisciplinary project that provides low vision services to children ages 3-21 in Tennessee. This article describes the project's administrative, direct service, and research components and the philosophy on which it is based. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A Tennessee program awards stipends to teachers to attend summer classes and a practicum and earn 18 hours of credit in education of children with visual impairments. The program requires that teachers have assurance from their superintendents that they will teach visually impaired students in their school systems after endorsement. (Author/JDD)