Background: The research reported here sought to evaluate whether a dedicated education programme in vision awareness improved the knowledge and skills of autism support practitioners in identifying visual impairment in autistic people with intellectual disabilities and providing better support to those individuals identified as visually impaired.…

Describes a social service position in an urban vision clinic that serves as a practicum site for optometric students and as a field placement site for social work students. Discusses health and financial benefits to patients and opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation of social service positions in holistic health care. (Author/JAC)

The New England College of Optometry's two separate but integrated clinical postgraduate programs, one providing Veterans' Administration residencies and the other, college-based fellowships, are described. The shared curriculum components, exchange process, and evaluation system are highlighted. (MSE)

The University of Montreal is the only French-speaking optometry school following the North American model. Its history, clinical activities, research, and students are described. (Author/MLW)

The optometry program at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico is profiled, with highlights of admission criteria, temporary and permanent facilities, faculty, governance structure, curriculum, research opportunities, and relationship with the university as a whole. (MSE)

A pediatric optometry clinic teaches students how to provide appropriate services for school-aged children who present, because of reduced visual acuity, unstable binocularity and perceptual skill disorders, and teaches about half the students the fundamentals of care of preschool children and strabismics. (Author/MSE)

A workshop to improve clinical optometry teachers' instructional abilities focuses on teachers' problem-solving skills and aims at reviewing basic clinical instruction concepts, introducing students to communication skills, introducing participants to an action-oriented model of clinical teaching, and providing opportunities to practice the…

The University of Houston College of Optometry external clinical program, which provides fourth year students with multidisciplinary clinical activities in facilities serving underserved areas, is described. The multidisciplinary practice setting allows the students to learn about the role of the optometrist and to communicate with other health…

The curriculum design, philosophy, and innovation of four programs in geriatric optometry are described: the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and the colleges of Optometry at the State University of New York, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of Houston. (MSE)

Two innovative advanced degree programs in postclinical, research-oriented optometric education at Ohio State University are described briefly. One is a combined professional and research degree program at the master's and doctoral levels. The other is a two-year postclinical degree format combining a half-time patient care residency and a…

Seventeen libraries of the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States are described, noting their founding dates, staffing (professional librarians, computer specialists and support staff, hourly/student staff), collections, Web site addresses, changing uses of technology, and special features. (MSE)

The University of New South Wales (Australia) has established the Vision Education Centre, a clinic designed to attract more pediatric patients for care by senior optometry students. The center uses interactive learning principles to teach elementary school children about optics, provides screening, and offers research opportunities. (MSE)

A description of the optometry program at the Universidad Autonoma de la Laguna (Mexico) provides information on the composition of the faculty, design of the five-year program as compared with the traditional four-year program, curriculum content, clinical education, visiting lecturer program, and certification of graduates. (MSE)

The Optometric Center of Los Angeles provides students of the Southern California College of Optometry with an urban clinical environment that incorporates diversity, high levels of pathology, and community involvement. Through networking with outside agencies and with foundation help, the center provides a valuable educational setting for…

Examines the literature on minority experiences in optometry and other health professions, describing programs geared either toward increasing diversity or facilitating acceptance of diversity within the optometric profession, including affirmative action and other institutional support structures. (EV)