Children with visual impairments are often behind their same-age peers in motor skills and physical activity (Haibach et al., 2014; Lieberman et al., 2010). Their physical education teachers and coaches do not always know how to include them in general physical education programs (Conroy, 2012; Haegele & Sutherland, 2015; Haegele & Zhu,…

Introduction: There is an increasing need for occupational therapists with the skills to provide low vision services, however, there is a lack of standardized training of low vision occupational therapy services. The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate a course for occupational therapy students to improve their skills and knowledge…

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an audio-tactile protocol for therapeutic intervention in individuals with visual impairments. Methods: The Physiotherapy Protocol for People with Visual Impairment (PP-PVI) was developed following five steps: physiotherapy evaluation, linguistic selection, protocol design,…

Telehealth clinical applications, which allow medical professionals to use telecommunications technologies to provide services to individuals remotely, continue to expand in areas such as low vision rehabilitation, where evaluations are provided to patients who live in rural areas. As with face-to-face low vision rehabilitation, the goal of…

In a competitive employment climate, college graduates with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) face challenges securing work. Employment barriers among visually impaired individuals include: limited early work experience, negative employer attitudes, transportation issues, lack of exposure to successful role…

A model Center of Excellence in Low Vision and Vision Rehabilitation was created in a health care setting in China utilizing an inter-institutional relationship with a United States optometric institution. Accomplishments of, limitations to, and stimuli to the provision of low vision and vision rehabilitation services are shared.

Introduction: Eccentric viewing training has been a strategy, used by rehabilitation professionals, to help individuals with central vision loss move their eyes in such a way that they focus the incoming light on parts of the retina located away from the center area that has been damaged and improve visual functioning. A number of studies have…

Introduction: In the Province of Quebec, Canada, it is estimated that only about one-third of working-age adults with visual impairments are part of the workforce, despite ongoing efforts of rehabilitation and government agencies to integrate these individuals. The present article describes the development and adaptation of a pre-employment…

Describes a national advocacy campaign to preserve funding for specialized services for older people with visual impairments. Outlines steps for developing a similar campaign, including: identifying critical issues, identifying key decision makers, developing a clear message, determining desired results, identifying potential advocates, and…

In 1992, the Texas Commission for the Blind formed a student leadership committee, Leaders in Transitioning with Excellence, to facilitate the development of leadership skills and involvement in communities by students with visual impairments, aged 15 to 20. This article describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the committee and…

A federally funded consortium project, the American Foundation for the Blind's Deaf-Blind Project, has produced "Hand in Hand" products for students who are deaf-blind. Reasons for using a consortium model, consortium structure, roles, distinguishing features, and advantages/disadvantages are discussed. (DB)

The HIV epidemic is the most serious threat to health internationally, with developing countries accounting for over 95% of new infections. Since HIV/AIDS was first identified, 20 million people have died of AIDS (Lamptey, Wigley, Carr, & Collymore, 2002). Worldwide, there will be 45 million new HIV infections by 2010 (Goliber, 2002). Social…

This article describes three field-tested approaches to planning educational programs in inclusive settings for students who are deaf-blind, making decisions about support services, and developing lesson accommodations to include the students in typical class activities. (Author)

This article describes the development and implementation of an innovative program of information centers in Israel that is designed to identify newly blind persons and to give them first-hand information about available services, as well as to stimulate an awareness of rehabilitation services among medical personnel. (Author/DB)

This article describes a collaborative process that parents, teachers, consumers, and advocacy groups in North Carolina used to successfully establish a permanently funded university training program specializing in visual impairments, the Visual Impairment Training Program. Within this process several factors were identified that contributed to…