Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

Introduction: The purpose of this cross-sectional survey was to examine the possession of low vision reading devices and factors associated with possession of these devices among residents living in a continuing care retirement community. Low vision reading devices are devices other than eyeglasses that aid in reading at near distances. Methods: One hundred and two usable questionnaires were received from residents, ages 65–97 years old, living in the independent and assisted living units of a retirement community. Results: Data indicated that 47% the participants reported having an eye disease, and 53% of the participants owned at least one low vision reading device. The two most common types of devices were handheld magnifiers (40%) and gooseneck lamps with or without a magnifier (26%). Of the 48 participants reported to have eye disease diagnoses, 65% owned a reading device. Forty-six percent of the participants reported having trouble with reading when performing one of the six daily activities even with their reading eyeglasses. The final multivariable logistic regression model indicated that participants who reported having trouble with reading in near distance were significantly more likely to own one of the reading devices. Discussion: This study identified a discrepancy between the high prevalence of visual impairment (i.e., blindness and low vision) among residents living in a retirement community setting and a relatively low number of residents owning low vision reading devices. Findings suggested the key factor contributing to residents’ decision to own reading devices is their level of visual impairment. Implications for Practitioners: Knowing the factors to owning low vision reading devices, occupational therapists may assist residents in continuing care retirement facilities to obtain the appropriate devices.

Introduction: The term “post-traumatic growth” describes positive outcomes that accrue from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. The purpose of this study is to describe post-traumatic growth accruing from experience with vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to identify the relationships between depression, cognitive processing, social support, and post-traumatic growth. Methods: Individuals with vision loss caused by AMD completed an interviewer-administered composite questionnaire to identify elements of Tedeschi and Calhoun’s theoretical model of the process of posttraumatic growth, including measures of distress (depression), intrusive and deliberate rumination (cognitive processing), and social support (quality and quantity of social ties). Relationships were examined using path analysis. Results: Eighty-nine participants completed the questionnaire (mean age = 85.3 years, range = 74–98 years). All paths, including from depression to social support (β = –.363, p < .001), from social support to deliberate rumination (β = .233; p ≤ .01), and from intrusive rumination to deliberate rumination (β = .514, p < .01), were significant and consistent with the posttraumatic growth theoretical model. Deliberate rumination had a significant direct path to post-traumatic growth (β = .38, p = .001). Discussion: The findings may illuminate elements of the process of post-traumatic growth among those with AMD. We found that as social support increased, depression decreased. Increased social support seemed to encourage positive deliberate rumination, which led directly to post-traumatic growth. Although intrusive rumination is often associated with negative outcomes, the model demonstrates that it also stimulates engagement in deliberate attempts to process one’s experience. Deliberate cognitive processing is a direct precursor to post-traumatic growth. Implications for Practitioners: A focus on the process of growth and thriving can offer a broader view of the experience of living with vision loss. Interventions that foster post-traumatic growth among those with AMD should focus on enhancing social support and facilitating deliberate cognitive processing.

Introduction: Three early studies from 1974 to 2000 provided information on demographics and salient characteristics of the profession of orientation and mobility (O&M). The current study compared demographic information from those studies with data from a survey instrument administered in 2019. The purpose of this article is to examine changes in demographics that have emerged in the ensuing years. Method: The questionnaire was disseminated using Qualtrics. It was distributed to practitioners in the profession via all available professional electronic discussion groups and was advertised on the websites of the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) and Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Findings: The number of O&M practitioners who responded to the survey was 628. Data indicate that the O&M profession is still predominantly Caucasian, and females continue to be in the majority and have expanded within the profession. The percentage of O&M practitioners working in school settings increased by 14% from earlier studies, and respondents had a median age of 41–50 years. Discussion: The results of this study show that the profession remains primarily female, mostly Caucasian, and 65% of practitioners are 41 year of age or older. O&M practitioners continue serving school-age students, thereby supporting results from previous studies. Finally, salaries of O&M practitioners have positively increased over time after accounting for inflation. Implications for Practitioners: Current characteristics of O&M practitioners have implications for recruitment of more diverse young professionals to serve the diversity of those they teach. It is evident the field should try to increase diversity within its ranks to mirror the diverse population they serve. Moreover, O&M salaries have kept pace or exceeded inflation, and thus the profession continues to be attractive in recruiting qualified and diverse professionals.

Introduction: This study examined potential legal precedent set by holdings in administrative due process hearings where instruction in the expanded core curriculum (ECC) for school-age children was decided. Methods: This study used an analogical reasoning approach. This legal research method includes examining the rule of law, presenting cases for comparison, and applying the fact pattern to predict outcomes of current or future cases. Results: The results demonstrate that the inclusion of the ECC in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) varies from state to state. Only two states have passed legislation requiring instruction in the ECC. These statutes have been referenced in case holdings. Administrative hearings from four different jurisdictions in the United States have held that the ECC must be included in the IEP to some extent.

Discussion: The ECC is a critical component of the education of students with visual impairments and must be incorporated in some form within their IEPs. Depending upon the jurisdiction, the ECC may have to be explicitly stated in the IEP, while in other locales it may have to be embedded within the IEP. In some states, specific statutes governing instruction in the ECC form the rule of law. Implications for Practitioners: School administrators and teachers of students with visual impairments should be knowledgeable of the legislation governing the ECC in their state and the legal precedents that have been created in their state. School administrators and teachers of students with visual impairments should carefully consider how the principles of a legal precedent can be applied to situations within their own communities to understand their obligations and likelihood of prevailing in any legal dispute. Finally, parents and students with visual impairments should be aware of the legal precedent created for the ECC in their state and use the dispute resolution process to inform change in their own communities as the families did in these exemplar cases.

Introduction: Long-held societal beliefs about the incompetence and dependence of people who are blind are thought to contribute to their low employment rates. This experimental study examined the impact of a meeting between a vocational rehabilitation (VR) professional and a hiring manager on these beliefs, or implicit attitudes, about the competence of people who are blind. Method: Participants were 57 hiring managers working for a financial services company in the southern United States who participated in a one-hour meeting with a VR professional. Two VR professionals, one sighted and one blind, conducted the meetings, utilizing one of two approaches, resulting in a 4 (group) × 3 (time) experimental design. Implicit attitudes were measured with the Implicit Association Test-Blind & Visually Impaired (IAT-BVI) at pre-test, post-test, and a 4-month follow-up and data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: IAT-BVI scores decreased significantly following the meeting, though the size of the change was small. Type of approach and the interaction between approach and the VR professional’s vision status were not significantly associated with IAT-BVI change. Although vision status was not significantly associated with IAT-BVI change, follow-up analyses documented that participants who met with the blind VR professional had a significant decrease in IAT-BVI scores. Discussion: Hiring managers’ implicit attitudes significantly improved following a meeting with a VR professional, providing evidence that a brief interaction can decrease employers’ implicit bias regarding the competence of blind people. In addition, hiring managers who met with the blind VR professional showed significant improvement in their implicit attitudes after the meeting, with a medium-to-large effect. Implications for Practice: VR professionals should communicate with employers as much as possible about the work capabilities of individuals who are blind to help improve their implicit attitudes, and be aware that incorporating exposure to a competent blind person may result in a greater impact.

Introduction: The Paralympic movement has grown considerably over the last decades, but few studies have analyzed the performance evolution of the best athletes with disabilities. This study examined the performance of athletes with visual impairments in track-and-field events over eight Paralympic Games (1988–2016). Method: Results in the Paralympic track-and-field events for athletes with visual impairments (and in the corresponding track-and-field Olympic events) were collected from official public websites. Results: Analysis showed that most performances at Paralympic track-and-field events increased linearly over the years, which finding contrasts with the general stagnation in Olympic events. The improvements from 1988 to 2016 in Paralympic sprinting, middle- and long-distance running, throwing, and long-jumping events were 4.0–16.3%, 3.2–16.2%, 23.0–54.2%, and 4.9–18.9%, respectively. Men had better performances than women in running, throwing, and jumping events. In general, sports classes with a less severe level of visual impairment achieved higher performance levels than those with a more severe level of visual impairment, especially men. The competition density of Paralympic track-and-field events showed modest improvements. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the performance of track-and-field athletes with visual impairments have been improving persistently over the last eight Paralympic Games, confirming that Paralympic athletes are achieving high-level performances. Implications for Practitioners: This study will be helpful for coaches and athletes with visual impairments who are setting performance (and training) goals for the Paralympic Games and other international athletic events.

Introduction: Athletes, who aim for even more perfection at every turn, have some orientations while achieving these goals. These orientations have been aimed to be explained with the goal orientation theory for many years. This study aims to examine the task orientation and ego orientation of visually impaired futsal players based on the level of their impairment. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 54 visually impaired male athletes (64.8%-B2, 35.2%-B3) who participated in B2–B3 Futsal 2nd League matches in the 2018–2019 season. The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire was used as the data collection tool in the research (Toros, 2004). The data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Within the scope of the research, it was found that the task orientation of the athletes with B2-level visual impairment was higher than that of the athletes with B3-level visual impairment. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 05). In terms of ego orientation, on the other hand, it was determined that the ego orientation of the athletes with B3-level visual impairment was significantly higher than the athletes with B2-level visual impairment (p < .05). Discussion: In this study, considering that athletes with B3-level visual impairment (whose vision is better than B2 athletes) perceive themselves as more competent, it may be better understood why their ego orientation scores were higher. Ego orientation here is associated with visual acuity and, therefore, self-efficacy. Implications for practitioners: In future studies, goal-orientation theory may be examined for visually impaired athletes in different sports branches (for visually impaired people, e.g., athletics, B1 football, B2-B3 futsal, goalball, judo, swimming, and weightlifting). Besides, the relevant theory would become stronger when different disability groups in the sports environment are brought into research.

High-quality education for students with visual impairments starts with service intensity determination based on the needs of students by teachers of students with visual impairments (Lewis & Allman, 2017; Spungin et al., 2016). Even though the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) emphasizes addressing students’ needs for service delivery (United States Department of Education, 2004), some teachers of students with visual impairments continue taking other factors such as caseload size into account for service intensity determination (Pogrund et al., 2019). Similarly, The Michigan Vision Services Severity Rating Scale (Michigan Department of Education, 2017) does not focus on the individual needs of the students to recommend service time. For example, it considers teachers’ availability such as travel time while determining service intensity. It also uses students’ visual condition as a criterion, which may not always accurately reflect the needs of the students for service delivery time.

To be effective teachers of literacy for students who read braille, we need to know what our students’ strengths and needs are as all these components come together in braille literacy. Using an appropriate assessment that addresses the skill sets involved in braille literacy is critical to putting together effective intervention packages for our students. The first author used the Kamei-Hannan and Ricci Reading Assessment (2015) and the Braille Reading Analysis Chart (Harley, et al., 1997) to determine areas of need for a student in grade 2 in a braille literacy program. Needs included: identifying ending sounds and naming final letters and sounds; basic decoding of short and long vowel sounds; recognizing sight words; and identifying letters. Specific miscue patterns in tactile perception (reversals) were identified. Information gathered from these assessments was used to develop a targeted intervention package and informed the development of a balanced literacy program for this student. Following a period of implementation, data showed evidence of overall improvement in braille literacy skills.

Audio description (AD), the rendering of images into words, helps people who are visually impaired to access audiovisual products. Being able to access media is a basic human right. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly states that people with disabilities should have “access to television programs, films, theater, and other cultural activities, in accessible formats” (United Nations, 2006). Recent developments in technology, for example, text-to-speech synthesizers, have enabled audio description to include more languages (see Tor-Carroggio, 2020). Training is important to ensure the quality of audio describers. Offering audio description training in universities can provide students an opportunity to get early exposure to this field and increase their understanding of the issues about accessibility. This report presents an audio description training module conducted in a university interpreting program in Hong Kong. Based on the commonalities between audio description and interpreting in quality assessment, a set of criteria was proposed and applied to the assessment of the students’ audio description performance. A visually impaired colleague was invited to participate in the evaluation, and her timely feedback for the student was provided from the user’s perspective. A post-class survey was conducted after the training program. The survey results suggested that students were highly motivated to learn audio description in interpreting classes. In reflecting on the skills cultivated during the training process, students acknowledged the value of audio description training for learning interpreting. The implementation of audio description training in interpreting programs has proved to be feasible and highly regarded by the students. The present study hopes to shed some light on the feasibility of offering audio description training in universities in general and interpreting classes in particular. It is expected this practice can significantly enrich and broaden the scope of education, audio description and development.