Described are methods of teaching braille to adolescents recently become blind, emphasizing the uniqueness of the individual, characteristics of the individual based on the cause of the blindness, possible resistance to learning braille while some vision remains, selection of appropriate training materials, and techniques for building up speed in…

Eleven basic types of visually displayed information that can be, and should be, rendered accessible to the visually impaired user are discussed. Speech, braille, and tactile technology are addressed as well as the innovative technique of "haptic-tactic" display combining a raised dynamic image of the screen's page with speech. (Author/DB)

This article offers teaching strategies for developing number sense for children who are blind and braille users. Suggestions focus on developing number meanings, exploring number relationships with manipulatives, understanding the relative magnitude of numbers, developing intuitions about the relative effect of operating on numbers, and…

Focuses on the accomplishments of Iris Schaedler, a blind coed from Liechtenstein who became exposed to the European cultural melting pot at the age of six. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she earned a diploma from a business school near Zurich, the first blind person from her country to receive such a degree. (CK)

This study of 270 legally blind adults found that those who had attended specialized schools for blind persons made significantly less money than those who had attended public schools. However, 72% of specialized school attendees could read braille, compared to 19.7% of public-school attendees. (DB)

This study compared the length of text in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth code, and the computer braille code with the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC)--also known as Unified English Braille (UEB). The findings indicate that differences in the length of text are dependent on the type of material that is transcribed and the grade…

During the past 50 years, teachers have used contracted braille as the preferred method of teaching reading to children and adults. Contracted braille, previously referred to as grade 2 braille, involves the use of the traditional alphabet, along with 189 different characters and contractions that represent a group of letters or whole words.…

An assessment is presented of the current situation of text reading comprehension research with Spanish-speaking blind persons. An overall view is offered on the operativity and evaluation of text reading comprehension processes, presented in a number of different media, such as braille, recordings and speech synthesis. A programme of future…

Reading development is said to progress in a series of developmental skills and stages that need to be acquired by emerging young readers. The literature on Greek braille reading and its development found that print readers opt for the same text decoding strategy even at the initial stages of development. This article explores the development of…

One of a series of three resource guides concerned with communication, control, and computer access for the disabled or the elderly, the book focuses on hardware and software. The guide's 13 chapters each cover products with the same primary function. Cross reference indexes allow access to listings of products by function, input/output…

This directory, in its revised and updated form, documents the existence of 46 braille music collections in 27 countries. The purpose of the directory is not to list specific braille music editions but to establish preliminary data that will facilitate the future compilation of an international catalog. Entries in the directory are arranged…

This bibliography is designed to aid in the selection of literature for visually impaired or physically handicapped students between second and sixth grades. It lists selected fiction books available on disc, on cassette, or in braille in network library collections provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped…

The guide provides accreditation standards for programs which transcribe printed matter into alternate media for blind and visually handicapped persons. Presented in a self study format, the booklet touches upon six aspects of the production of reading materials (sample subtopics in parentheses): planning and organization (administration,…

The booklet discusses designing barrier free nature areas to allow accessibility for handicapped persons. Among the aspects covered are site accessibility (including parking, loading and unloading areas, and directional information); walkways (including gradients, ramps, stops and curbs, width, surface material, and mechanical guides); rest areas…

GROUPS OF 24 BLIND ADULTS (ALL SKILLED BRAILLE READERS) AND 24 SIGHTED COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE COMPARED ON A TACTUAL IDENTIFICATION OF FORM TASK IN WHICH RAISED DOTS WERE USED. THE TWO INFORMATION PARAMETERS, COMPLEXITY AND REDUNDANCY OF THE DOTS, WERE ASSESSED USING PUNCTIFORM METRIC FIGURES RESEMBLING HISTOGRAMS AND SIMILAR IN SIZE AND SPACING TO…