This article traces the historical development of two movements to improve the mobility of people with visual impairments--environmental modifications to increase accessibility, and orientation and mobility training. It also notes how changes in attitudes, effected to a large degree by the introduction of dog guides, have led to greater acceptance…

The applicability of two reinforcer assessment procedures to children with developmental disabilities and visual impairments was evaluated. Greater differentiation between stimuli occurred with a choice procedure than with a preference procedure. Measurement of compliance and responding rate in adaptive skill training confirmed that the choice…

Outlines the history of the National Library Service (NLS) for the blind and physically handicapped. The nature of the collection and services provided are discussed, including formats available (such as large print, flexible disk, audio cassette, braille); monthly and bimonthly publications announcing available texts; application procedures for…

This summary of a seminar meeting on consumer concerns in services for people with blindness and visual impairments addresses the future of services, an ideal model of the blindness system, goals of rehabilitation services, a mission statement, differential evaluation of system criteria, and strategies to implement goals. (DB)

Techniques used by the Special Visual Assessment Clinic for the Handicapped at the University of California-Berkeley School of Optometry are designed to serve handicapped children and adults generally considered "difficult to assess." This article describes the clinic's assessment goals, clientele, and methods for assessing visual ability and…

This article reports the findings of a survey of 37 orientation and mobility specialists who serve preschool-age visually impaired children. It presents demographics of the children and the specialists involved in long cane instruction and identifies the factors related to the decision to begin this instruction. (Author/DB)

This study evaluated the Columbus (Ohio) Children's Hospital vision stimulation program, involving in-home intervention with 15 visually impaired infants. Comparison with controls indicated benefits of appropriate vision stimulation in increasing the neural foundation for vision and visual-motor function in visually impaired infants. (Author/DB)

This open-ended survey of 156 subjects (78 pairs of visually handicapped orientation and mobility specialists and adult clients) identified common low vision mobility problems (lighting conditions, drop-offs, street crossings, changes in terrain) and found a high degree of agreement between the reported perceptions of mobility practitioners and…

A visually impaired rehabilitation teacher describes a model developed in Maine for providing low vision services, with emphasis on teaching the use of near-point aids to assist on near-point tasks. The article addresses preevaluation services, assessment of clients with low vision, and follow-up when the client begins using the aids at home. (DB)

This article reviews 66 studies which used applied behavior analysis to change the behaviors of students with visual disabilities. It documents the participants, targeted behaviors, procedures used, outcomes, and follow-up. The article offers recommendations for future researchers on the selection of subjects, target behaviors, appropriate…

This study, with 3 sensory-impaired children (ages 24-27 months), 1 normal child, and their 4 mothers, found that mother-child communication interaction was influenced by the type of sensory impairment of the subject, whether hearing impairment, visual impairment, or both. (JDD)

This study of the effects of lenses of different colors on the visual abilities and comfort of 20 patients with retinal disease found that, in home trials, the critical issue was density more than color. Office tests of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity with colored lenses did not predict subjective benefit. (Author/JDD)

This hypothetical letter to a junior high school student with visual impairments stresses the child's abilities and possibilities rather than limitations as well as the importance of the child's individual development and assumption of personal responsibility. The letter is primarily intended to help teachers think about how to best help such…

This article describes a visual assessment procedure (VAP) which evaluates capacity, attention, and processing (CAP) of infants and preschool children with visual impairments. The two-level battery considers, first, visual capacity and basic visual attention and, second, visual perceptual and cognitive abilities. A theoretical analysis of the…

Discusses the use of colored plastic overlays and tinted lens filters to benefit at-risk readers who have the visual perceptual problem known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. (MG)