A guideline is provided for the field rehabilitation teacher to assess the emotional and rehabilitative needs of the newly blinded adult client. (SB)

Presents a review of progress and problems in developing educational programs for blind and partially sighted children in Canada. (Editor/RK)

The author discusses visual difficulties caused by uncorrected refractive errors and neuromuscular anomalies of the eyes and also comments briefly on the eyes in dyslexia. (MB)

A study compared the personal space preference (PSP) of 13 high school students with visual disabilities who attended a state school for students with blindness and 13 typical high schoolers. Results found that the male adolescents with visual disabilities chose a smaller PSP than did their male counterparts. (CR)

Discusses barriers individuals face in using computers in the classroom and the importance of eliminating these barriers. The article notes that visual, mobility, and hearing impairments are the disabilities most often encountered in school labs and that numerous software and hardware tools are available to help individuals with these disabilities…

This article describes a strategy for using Braille Lite, a portable notetaking device that combines synthetic speech and Braille, to produce mathematical expressions that can be easily interpreted by sighted teachers who do not use Braille. The strategy also allows students to review their work tactilely on the Braille display. (Contains 2…

Describes the development of a general equivalency diploma (GED) preparation program at the New York Institute for Special Education, which serves students who are visually impaired. It reports that as of June 1996, 19 students (all over age 19) with visual impairments had participated in the GED program. Thirteen of these students have received…

Describes a program developed to meet the needs of individuals, and their families, new to the experience of vision loss. Program components address education services and resources, issues concerning the emotional response to vision loss and adjustment, tips and ideas for daily functioning, and ways to enhance families' awareness. (RJM)

This article describes a setup smart access card that enables users with visual impairments to customize magnifiers and screen readers on computers by loading the floppy disk into the computer and finding and pressing two successive keys. A trial with four elderly users found instruction took about 15 minutes. (Contains 3 references.) (CR)

Addresses the importance of quality science instruction for students with visual impairments. Discusses literature-based suggestions for modifying science instruction and instructional materials to meet the learning needs of visually impaired students and presents relevant examples in physical, chemical, and biological sciences. Addresses policy…

This article compares the economic status of adults with visual impairments with those with non-visual impairments using data from the National Health Interview Survey. Employment rates and mean household incomes were lower and receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance higher among those blind in both eyes than those with less severe visual…

Classroom observation and interviews with key people evaluated the participation and learning of 23 children with visual impairments in 17 mainstream primary schools in Britain. Resulting recommendations included: (1) provision of adequate additional support; (2) inclusion in the main learning processes taking place in the classroom; and (3) good…

This paper examines the student placement decision-making process since the 1950s noting trends. The process is seen to include accumulating relevant data, analysis of data, and exploration of possible placement options. Creative and appropriate programing is emphasized. The role of the teacher of visually handicapped students is clarified.…

Analysis of language samples from four children with blindness, four children with low vision, and four sighted children (ages 4-5) revealed that the sighted group had greater complexity of utterances, lower frequency of inappropriate pronoun use, more variation in sentence types, and more instances of experiential narrative and imaginative play.…

This article reports the first year results of a pilot study of 21 developmental milestones achieved by 82 visually impaired children in New York City. Some delays in visual-motor activities were found, as well as differences in the sequence of acquiring skills. Children with additional handicaps acquired milestones at a slower rate. (Author/DB)