Abstract
The Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) has been continuously published since 1907 and has served as one of the primary professional venues, if not the primary professional venue, for professionals working in the field of visual impairment. Although the journal itself has undergone a number of changes over the last century and a bit, the mission to publish quality information that is of value to working professionals in the vision field has not changed. Over time, there has been an increased emphasis on research-oriented articles, but peer-reviewed content such as Around the World, Practice Reports, and Practice Perspectives, as well as features such as letters and commentaries, have added to the wealth of knowledge that makes access to JVIB one of the most important resources for vision professionals. I am humbled to take on the role of editor in chief for the journal. Not only because of the importance of the journal and its mission, but also because I am following in a very short line of previous academic editors in chief.
Dennis Brookshire, an employee of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) operated as the first named editor in chief for the journal, transitioning the “In this Issue” page to a regular form of editorial in 1995. Jane Erin was the first academic to serve as editor in chief, from 1998 to 2001. Dr. Erin was followed by Alan Koenig from 2001 to 2004. It was under these two editors in chief that I started my submission of publications to the journal as an author, and they showed a great deal of compassion in assisting a young academic. Duane Geruschat was next, from 2005 to 2012; followed by Diane Wormsley, from 2012 to 2015. I am honored to have worked on projects with both of these professionals while they served in the role of editor in chief. Finally, the role has been masterfully filled by Sandra Lewis from 2015 to 2024. As the longest-serving editor in chief, Dr. Lewis leaves a legacy that will be difficult to live up to.
When Dr. Erin began as the first academic editor in chief, her initial goals were to strengthen the bridge between research and practice and to make the contents of JVIB more “reflective of the issues and priorities” of the vision field. Alan Koenig, in his first editorial, mentioned developing JVIB's online presence, while Duane Geruschat spoke about maintaining the high standards set by his predecessors and expressed his thanks to all of the people involved in keeping the journal running. As Diane Wormsley took the reins, she reflected on the international perspective in the pages of JVIB. The journal's most recent editor in chief was careful to overlap several months with her predecessor, so when it was time for Dr. Lewis’ first actual editorial, she was already “in the groove” and did not offer an introductory version, as I am attempting to do now. Drs. Geruschat and Wormsley both made mention of the increase of submissions to the journal during their tenures as editor in chief, and Dr. Lewis has presided over a similar increase. The number of associate editors has risen from one to three and is now five to seven, depending on your definition.
Dr. Lewis has steered the JVIB ship through a pandemic and seen the journal shift publication from The American Foundation for the Blind to Sage Publications. This switch had been in the works since Duane Geruschat was editor in chief, and it brings the journal more into the online arenas where potential readers look for impactful articles. Just one way to demonstrate the effect of Dr. Lewis’ leadership is in the journal's impact factor. Before her tenure, JVIB was not in the mainstream of journal search engines and had an impact factor of .33 but more recently the impact factor has risen to 1.3. Although this number might be considered average in the grand scheme of things, it represents a great deal of progress for the journal. There have been monumental changes to the journal behind the scenes, and Dr. Lewis has managed to watch over and manage the journal through these times without adversely impacting the readers’ experiences.
As I have been reflecting on how previous academic editors in chief began their tenures, I keep thinking of the experience of the actor Matt Smith, when he took on the role of Doctor Who to play the 11th incarnation of The Doctor. He has related a story of a fan yelling at him in the street saying, “Don’t break Doctor Who.” My main goal is that I will try not to “break” JVIB.
In that spirit, and in the spirit of goals of past editors in chief, the articles included in this volume demonstrate the continuing expression of the vision for JVIB that past editors in chief have held. This volume has three articles that come from outside of North America, two of which discuss services in other countries; two articles looking at visual impairment and haptics, one with more of a basic science approach and one a review of literature on the topic; and two articles dealing with service provision, one validating a specific tool for determining service intensity and the other a practice-oriented article looking at finding an appropriate service provision program. Whatever credential a reader might hold, or whether a reader is looking for fundamental understanding of a topic or applied topics, this volume offers something for everyone. And that is something I will strive to continue: to offer within the pages of JVIB high-quality information that is useful to a wide range of vision professionals.
Robert Wall Emerson, PhD
Editor in chief, JVIB