Three experiments tested the ability of 11 children (ages 6-10) with low vision to recall black-and-white line drawings. Unlike fully sighted age-matched controls, children with low vision recalled best when left to study pictures without verbal intervention. They also named significantly fewer of the remembered pictures correctly. (Author/PB)

This case study describes the process of introducing braille reading to a sixth-grade girl with severe visual impairment. Her mastery of braille as a supplement to large-print reading is discussed in the context of the influence of adolescence and the child's self-consciousness about using braille in the presence of other students. (DB)

This study explored the effects of the physical features associated with albinism on three groups of African American youths (ages 14-19) with albinism: those with no disabilities, those with visual impairments, and those with oculocutaneous albinism. No significant differences in self-esteem were found among the three groups. (Contains…

A survey examined the perceptions of 169 adults with low vision about their personal experiences with abuse, violence, or both. A relatively small number of respondents (56 of 35 percent) reported experiencing harm or physical abuse, but many experienced emotional abuse, and some witnessed violence in their families. (Contains extensive…

This article identifies major barriers that impede the inclusion of students with visual impairments or deaf blindness in physical education and suggests strategies for overcoming these barriers. Barriers are grouped into teachers' barriers (e.g., lack of professional preparation), students' barriers (parental overprotection), and administrative…

This brief article uses observational data of a 4-year-old child with a visual impairment to examine the development of early literacy skills through home literacy experiences. (DB)

Examines the assumption that the parvocellular system is suppressed by the magnocellular system during saccadic eye movements and that this visual deficit is associated with dyslexia. Evidence from six studies indicates the magnocellular system is suppressed during saccadic eye movements, disproving the magnocellular deficit theory of dyslexia.…

Discusses problems that users with disabilities, particularly visual impairments, have with Web-based classes. Discusses efforts by the Texas Commission for the Blind to offer Web-based training to visually impaired staff members; and explains how to test a Web site for accessibility and how to make a Web site more accessible and effective. (LRW)

In a series of experiments, canes of different lengths, weights, and weight distributions were assessed to determine the effect of these characteristics on various performance measures. The results indicate that the overall weight of a cane and the distribution of weight along a cane's shaft do not affect a person's performance, but accuracy does…

For all children with visual impairments to receive services from qualified teachers is important. The roles of teachers of students with visual impairments change, influenced by such factors as the changing demographics of children with visual impairments, the types of services needed by the students on their caseloads, caseload sizes and work…

This study explored multiple aspects of social support and their links to the well-being of working-age adults with visual impairments. Instrumental help from family members was the most frequent type of positive support that was received, and underestimation of the participants' capabilities was the most frequent type of negative support that was…

This article reports on a survey of the opinions of employment networks (ENs) about serving social security beneficiaries who are blind or visually impaired under the Ticket to Work program. Although most of the 267 ENs who participated in the survey expressed concerns about working with those who are blind or visually impaired, they did not seem…

A need for more personnel to teach students with disabilities resulted from the passage of Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which enabled those children to attend school in regular classrooms. Many schools solved their shortages of teaching personnel by hiring assistants, termed paraprofessionals, who were not…

This study investigated the ability of color and motion to elicit and maintain visual attention in a sample of children with cortical visual impairment (CVI). It found that colorful and moving objects may be used to engage children with CVI, increase their motivation to use their residual vision, and promote visual learning.

This qualitative study explored the effect of person-environment congruence on participation in homebased leisure activities by two legally blind older adults who lived independently in the community. The results indicated that visual impairment increased the time spent in home-based leisure activities and that the participants used various…