This article briefly describes a two-week course on the education of deaf-blind students, offered as part of a special education degree program at the University of Zimbabwe. The article summarizes course emphases (such as combining education and rehabilitation over the life cycle) and the course's coverage of diagnosis and assessment,…

This article examines various forms of communication systems for their "partner friendliness" and presents a model of different types of communication partners and their communication needs. Case examples illustrate how the forms of communication of two students who are deaf-blind were expanded to promote greater communication with a variety of…

This study evaluated the quality and costs of services for 16 young adults with dual sensory impairments and mental retardation before and during their placement at a specialized, community-based, residential, further-education facility in England. Results indicated that overall quality and costs were higher than in previous placements, though…

This article traces the historical development of two movements to improve the mobility of people with visual impairments--environmental modifications to increase accessibility, and orientation and mobility training. It also notes how changes in attitudes, effected to a large degree by the introduction of dog guides, have led to greater acceptance…

This article describes methods of teaching clients with severe visual impairments to be aware of safety in crossing streets without traffic controls. It describes and evaluates a timing method for assessing the detection of vehicles and a timing method for assessing the speed and distance of vehicles. Case examples illustrate use of the methods.…

A nationwide survey of braille instructors in adult rehabilitation centers found that: most teachers taught braille to fewer than 20 percent of clients; few taught complex reading skills; instructors' attitudes were influenced by their training site, type of college degree, and degree of vision; and teaching behaviors were affected by teaching…

This study to determine the validity of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test (BLAT), involving 30 students, found significant correlations between scores on the BLAT and braille oral reading speed, comprehension, age, grade, years of blindness, intelligence, and achievement. The correlation was greater between the BLAT and comprehension than between…

Verbal and figurative classification tasks were presented to 30 blind and 30 sighted children (ages 6 to 11). Although younger blind children were significantly less efficient on tasks, older ones reached or were close to the level of their sighted peers. Analysis illustrates how the blind children adjusted their conceptual knowledge to their…

An administrator of a school for students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities raises concerns about assumptions of inclusive education that "all teachers can teach all children" and movements toward a generic "teacher of the handicapped" certificate. He maintains that blindness requires highly specialized interventions. (DB)

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)

In this point/counterpoint feature, S. Melrose contends that complex graphical user interfaces (GUIs) threaten the independence and equal employment of individuals with blindness. D. Wakefield then points out that access to the Windows software program for blind computer users is extremely unpredictable, and J. Gill describes a major European…

This article reports the measurement of the "veering tendency" of 4 blind pedestrians over 3 15-trial test sessions. Findings illustrate between-subject and within-subject differences in patterns of veering, and the implications of these differences for orientation and mobility instruction are discussed. (Author)

This article cites the increased number of children with multiple disabilities and visual disabilities who generally take therapeutic medications. It lists the side effects of several types of medications, outlines the educational implications of the side effects, discusses drug interactions, and offers a glossary of medical terms. (JDD)

This study of the relationship between mother-child interactions and children's development for 18 children (ages 20-36 months) with severe visual impairments found that mother-responsive behaviors were positively related to child development, whereas mother-initiated behaviors were either negatively related or not related. (Author/JDD)

Performance by congenitally blind, adventitiously blind, and sighted persons on three types of tasks (manipulatory, simple locomotion, and complex locomotion) was assessed. The three groups tended to perform equivalently. Results offer little evidence of a set of spatial processes that rely on past visual experience and are applicable to a broad…