The efforts of Sight Savers, a service program of the Royal Commonwealth for the Blind, to stem the outward flow of hard currency from developing countries are described. Sight Savers furthers program sustainability by emphasizing local manpower development, selecting equipment that requires less and cheaper maintenance, and using local currency…

Two factors are discussed that should influence the planning and development of rehabilitation services for visually impaired people: social perceptions/expectations (media influence, leisure, health, quality of life, and equality of opportunity) and external environmental influences (demographic, economic, social, political, and physical).…

The Christoffel-Blindenmission helps support 26 schools, centers, and rehabilitation programs for individuals with visual impairments in South America. This article discusses the organization's limited use of foreign specialists to discourage overdependency on the agency and to encourage local personnel to establish their own programs. (Author/JDD)

A model for employability development is introduced to improve employability assessment and planning programs in rehabilitation and educational settings. The major components of an employability assessment and planning program are vocational choice, job acquisition, and job retention. The model offers strategies for empowering the consumer and…

The paper describes issues involved in a project to assist providers of services for the visually impaired to plan and initiate programs directed toward Nepal's low vision population. Discussed are demographic factors; organization of prevention, education, and rehabilitation programs; development of a systematic and coordinated national plan; and…

Symposium papers describe programs which use volunteers to provide rehabilitation technology services. George Winston describes Australia's Technical Aid to the Disabled (TAD), focusing on volunteer recruitment and selection, legal liability, volunteer insurance, advantages and limitations of the volunteer approach, and the TAD organization,…

The paper contrasts the traditional model of referral for rehabilitation services for blind and visually impaired persons in Israel with a new model--the rehabilitation information station, which links administrative, social, medical, and functional rehabilitation and results in faster receipt of services and increased ophthalmologists' awareness…

The article traces the experiences of the Malaysian Association for the Blind in developing rehabilitation services for rural blind persons. It explains the rationale for a community-based approach to rehabilitation and concludes that center-based and community-based approaches to rehabilitation complement each other in bringing services to rural…

Nongovernment organizations providing services to visually handicapped persons in developing nations should direct increased efforts toward project evaluation, monitoring, documentation, and dissemination, to ensure that innovative, flexible strategies direct self-help information to the "grassroots" level in forms that are familiar,…

Establishing community-based rehabilitation projects for visually impaired populations in developing countries in the South Pacific presents challenges in communication, logistics, security, and other factors. Program development must consider differences in geography, population distribution, resources, cultural and religious values, and needs.…

Results of a longitudinal study of mentally handicapped Canadian adults' perceptions of their quality of life led to development of a conceptual model. The model calls for a reciprocal link between client and field worker wherein the field worker mediates goals and develops a program based on client-generated programing selections. (JDD)

This guide was developed to help Wisconsin agency assessment, evaluation, and planning personnel to develop a perspective on how needs assessment fits into their state's vocational rehabilitation program planning. It is intended to offer practical and responsible suggestions that meet the intent of federal and state mandates. Volume I of the guide…

This paper provides school district administrators with a structured method for developing school programs aimed at reducing the risk of adolescent dropout. The methodology encompasses problem definition, fact finding, mission management, overcoming inertia, cohering programs tied to theory, feasible goal-setting, and normative personnel…

This guide was developed to help Wisconsin agency assessment, evaluation, and planning personnel to develop a perspective on how needs assessment fits into their state's vocational rehabilitation program planning. Volume II provides state agency personnel with tools for conducting rehabilitation needs assessment. The first three chapters consider…

This directory represents the culmination of a national research project designed to assess the extent to which computer technology is being integrated into rehabilitation facility operations. The directory is divided into six major sections. The first section is a research summary that provides a concise description of how the information…