The article examines the partnership between the Canadian government and nonprofit organizations in delivering rehabilitation services to blind/visually impaired adults. Discussed are legislation, concessions to blind persons, services of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, special equipment, dog guide schools, consumer groups, and the…

Rehabilitation services for visually impaired adults in India are described, both historically and currently. The paper examines the magnitude of the problem, vocational training and placement, services for newly blind persons and for blind/visually handicapped women, rural rehabilitation projects, information access, legislation, professional…

A profile is presented of the gender, age, and diagnoses of individuals with visual impairments in Finland. Services provided, current legislative measures, rehabilitation courses, and orientation and mobility training are also described. (JDD)

The Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind is primarily responsible for services to visually impaired people in New Zealand. The article describes its history, structure, services, and plans for the future. (Author/JDD)

A survey of the 12 major low vision clinics in Australia is reported, focusing on (1) patient characteristics; and (2) planning, organization, outreach, admission procedures, personnel, and services provided. Results showed that increased services were being provided to rural regions through satellite clinics or private optometric practices.…

Visually impaired persons (N=1,657) from 20 national rehabilitation centers in Japan and 230 patients of a low vision clinic were surveyed to gather information on patients' age, sex, cause of disorder, visual acuity, and results of treatment and rehabilitation. (Author/JDD)

This article introduces a group of six papers on sustainability of programs for visually handicapped persons in developing countries. Sustainability is discussed from an anthropological perspective, noting the importance of a social soundness analysis and a social impact assessment, enemies of sustainability, and the need for broad local input in…

The paper describes issues involved in a project to assist providers of services for the visually impaired to plan and initiate programs directed toward Nepal's low vision population. Discussed are demographic factors; organization of prevention, education, and rehabilitation programs; development of a systematic and coordinated national plan; and…

Establishing community-based rehabilitation projects for visually impaired populations in developing countries in the South Pacific presents challenges in communication, logistics, security, and other factors. Program development must consider differences in geography, population distribution, resources, cultural and religious values, and needs.…

The efforts of Sight Savers, a service program of the Royal Commonwealth for the Blind, to stem the outward flow of hard currency from developing countries are described. Sight Savers furthers program sustainability by emphasizing local manpower development, selecting equipment that requires less and cheaper maintenance, and using local currency…

The Christoffel-Blindenmission helps support 26 schools, centers, and rehabilitation programs for individuals with visual impairments in South America. This article discusses the organization's limited use of foreign specialists to discourage overdependency on the agency and to encourage local personnel to establish their own programs. (Author/JDD)

Nongovernment organizations providing services to visually handicapped persons in developing nations should direct increased efforts toward project evaluation, monitoring, documentation, and dissemination, to ensure that innovative, flexible strategies direct self-help information to the "grassroots" level in forms that are familiar,…

The role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities is examined. The ILO's recent emphasis on community-based training and employment programs, social reintegration of disabled citizens through self-employment and union-generating activities, and special programs for…

This article describes organizations providing services for blind and visually impaired people, with special emphasis on programs for developing countries. Included are United Nations agencies, nongovernmental organizations concerned with blindness, governmental development agencies, professional associations, and international organizations…

This article presents results of a study of the first-year teaching experience of 103 teachers of students with visual impairments in Illinois. The study identified needs of beginning teachers and offered recommendations for universities and school districts to curb these teachers' high rate of attrition. (Author/DB)