This study used a single-subject design to investigate the feasibility of using computer access technology by Braille reading students who are mainstreamed. The technology would reduce the time that vision teachers spend transcribing Braille work for mainstream teachers and thereby increase the time vision teachers spend in direct instruction and…

The materials included in this reference circular are recommended as basic resources for providing current information on general aspects of visual impairments and physical disabilities. The selections, based on the holdings of the Reference Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), were chosen for their…

The National Library Service (NLS) is developing a digital talking book and Braille book system for use by the blind and physically handicapped community. The following elements drive the design of the program: NLS offers a free library service; NLS is consumer-driven; NLS pays no royalties to copyright holders; the program is accessible to a wide…

Describes specific plans for making environmental education accessible to disabled people by adapting trail systems and facilities for safety, interpretative programing, and access. Encourages the inclusion of disabled people in the wide variety of environmental education programing by presenting solutions to traditional barriers. (MCO)

The Carroll Center for the Blind operates the Ed-Tech Loan Program which enables Massachusetts schools to borrow adaptive computer devices for blind students. For $50 per month, with a three-month maximum, schools can borrow braille printers, large-print processors, talking software, or speech or braille laptop computers to evaluate before making…

As distance education becomes a more common practice in teacher preparation, it is critical that students completing these programs be held to the same standards as students completing traditional university-based programs. The author examined the achievements of students in a preparation program for teachers of children with visual impairments in…

This is the second part of a two-part report of a study about the instruction of children who are learning or using both braille and print simultaneously (dual media). It explores the instructional methods and curricular decisions of teaching dual media to students with low vision and reports the students' current literacy levels and reading rates…

This annotated bibliography contains books for blind or physically handicapped youngsters from preschool through junior high. The books are available in braille, on audiocassette, or recorded discs. The approximately 400 titles listed were produced in Florida or obtained from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.…

This annotated bibliography comprises an alphabetical listing of 72 books about digging available in special formats. The bibliography is divided into three sections: (1) "Dig-In" contains books about holes and caves; (2) "Dig-In--In the Garden and Down on the Farm" contains books about gardening and farming; and (3)…

There is a great need to explore approaches for developing computer-based testing systems that are more accessible for people with disabilities. This report explores three prototype test delivery approaches, describing their development and formative evaluations. Fifteen adults, 2 to 4 from each of the six disability statuses--blindness, low…

Midway through this century, Braille was placed within the reach of blind persons throughout the world when Unesco began the major task of adapting Braille to accommodate all languages and dialects. Invented in France between 1825 and 1829, Braille's role as the key to the cultural emancipation of the blind had previously been limited to countries…

The paper examines ways in which computers have radically altered and improved the lives of handicapped students. The visually impaired have been helped through the use of computerized braillers, embossers, and readers. Both adaptations of off-the-shelf software and specialized software have provided the visually impaired with magnification of…

This study evaluates user satisfaction and the cost effectiveness of the use of computer systems in the Braille and Talking Book Program of the Ohio Regional Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and makes recommendations for patterns of service and funding. This report provides an executive summary as well as a 3-part presentation…

Illustrated instructions are provided for constructing 32 teaching aids. To be used with blind and visually limited children, the aids are designed to assist the child in exploration, discrimination, and recognition; spatial orientation and association of tactual symbology; likenesses and differences in tactual group symbols; word association and…

A survey based on the American Library Association's "Standards for Library Services for the Blind and Visually Handicapped" (1966) was sent to 65 four year universities in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Arizona. Libraries were asked how many blind patrons they had and what services and facilities were…