Identifies the areas of knowledge in the field of blindness rehabilitation and provides outlines and references for the areas of access technology, business enterprise programs, and low vision. The outlines list information areas that specialists should know and skills they should be able to do in the specified area. (CR)

A survey was conducted of 48 state agencies and 55 private agencies offering vocational rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired persons. Survey findings and Rehabilitation Services Administration data indicated that agencies employing both rehabilitation counselors and placement specialists experienced higher placement rates than…

This article reports the results of digit-span tests administered to 314 children who were visually impaired. Results found that gender, first language, and educational setting had no effect on the children's scores and that the congenitally totally blind children scored higher than did sighted children, whereas those who had had some sight did…

This study evaluated interfaces (menu-driven, natural language, or hybrid) for using the Computer Access Technology-Knowledge Based Expert System (CAT-KBES), which assists in the selection of appropriate computer access technology for clients with severe visual disabilities. Users (n=19, including 12 with visual impairments) preferred the revised…

This study found that, of 18 children with severe visual and multiple impairments assessed using the Acuity Card Procedure (originally developed for assessing the visual acuity of infants), 42 percent responded. A similar group received a simple instructional intervention prior to testing and that group's response rate was 85 percent. (Author/DB)

This project examined whether the rehabilitation of reading recognition allowed comprehension of print for 38 low vision adults (ages 37-87) who were former readers. The project developed training strategies for enhancing reading comprehension. The paper concludes that instruction in comprehension has value as part of low vision rehabilitation for…

The journal's executive editor considers current and future societal trends and their implications for people who are blind and visually impaired. He notes effects of the developing mosaic society, changing demographics showing large increases in minority populations, the developing information society, redefinitions of individual and societal…

This study compared the performance on perspective-taking tasks of 8 congenitally blind children (mean age 13.5 years), using either haptic exploration or a vibrotactile prosthetic device, with the performance of 4 children having low vision using their limited visual abilities. The vibrotactile device improved perspective-taking performance…

A vision screening program established at a facility for 271 individuals with severe or profound mental retardation used the acuity card procedure as its measure. The procedure was found to be a valid and reliable screening tool for this population. A few residents had good visual acuities, whereas the acuities of others were poor. (JDD)

The intellectual disciplines comprising the traditional curriculum are actually territorial spaces carved out by academic scholars for their own purpose. Although middle-level educators have been engaged in reform efforts for two decades, the interdisciplinary, integrated curriculum is still rare and a working definition of a middle school…

Lists strategies for promoting functional vision use in children with visual and motor impairments, including providing postural stability, presenting visual attention tasks when energy level is the highest, using a slanted work surface, placing target items in varied locations within reach, and determining the most effective visual adaptations.…

This article reviews the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R adult and EPQ-R short form), the 16PF5, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for use with adults with visual impairments. Results found only the EPQ-R short form can be used by participants using low vision aids, closed-circuit television, or an optical character reader.…

This study evaluated the effects of perceptual training and psychological counseling on adjustment to vision loss in 49 elderly persons (mean age 70) with low vision. Overall, both interventions improved the participants' visual functioning and beliefs about the loss of vision, and follow-up interviews revealed that these improvements were…

A study of the reading competence of 25 visually impaired pupils in Sweden followed subjects from 1988 to 1991. Neither visual acuity, reading media, optical aids, nor reading distance were clearly related to reading competence. Rather, good readers were students who scored higher on verbal cognitive tests and had a greater interest in reading as…

Suggests guidelines for creating World Wide Web sites that accommodate those using speech or braille aids. Hypertext Markup Language coding should provide (1) one-column format rather than side-by-side columns; (2) stand-alone hyperlinks; (3) "ALT=" attributes for image displays; (4) text alternatives to images or image maps as links or…