Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

Museums offer a range of programs for visually handicapped visitors, the approach depending upon the type of museum. In a period of constricting financial resources, the emphasis is on creating the most wide-ranging and usable accommodations possible. Professionals serving visually handicapped people are called upon to act as consultants, as are the visually handicapped themselves, to use their experience in advising museums on outreach programs, tours, and other services that will draw in the hesitant consumer.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art recently circulated “New Perspectives: Art Museums and the Vision Impaired,’ ’ an exhibition that explored the potential for visually handicapped visitors to benefit from the art museum experience. The author analyzes the inadequacies of past approaches, makes specific suggestions concerning design and materials, and calls for mutual understanding and compromise.

A comparative analysis of the information processing associated with sighted and blind mobility indicates that the performance of blind pedestrians may be limited by the excessive “mental effort” demands of the task. Describes a group of experiments conducted to test the effectiveness of a secondary task as a measure of the blind mobility information processing workload. Secondary task performance is shown to be a useful index of the effects of preview and route difficulty, as well as the perceptual and cognitive demands placed on users of different mobility aids.

Failure to apply research findings to educational practice is a long-standing problem. Several reasons for this are discussed. Five dissemination models that may insure that research findings are translated into practice are described from the literature. Current research findings in seven areas related to education for visually handicapped people are summarized, together with recommended dissemination procedures. The difficulties of applying research findings from one country to programs in another, particularly a developing country, are discussed briefly.

Presents some basic facts about alcoholism and provides tips to the rehabilitation counselor about assessing whether the visually impaired client is an alcoholic and referring him or her to alcoholism treatment programs.

One group of severely or profoundly retarded, multiply handicapped, deaf-blind children were given a training program using a black light environment which allowed for the removal of all distracting stimuli and for exaggeration of the critical features from which the children learn. Another group was given training under normal light. The children trained under black light performed the task they had been taught significantly better than the children trained under normal light.

Examines how a coordinated placement service for blind and visually impaired job applicants, through employer interviews, site surveys, job analyses, and selective placement of candidates, successfully placed clients over a five-year period. The program also created a continuing partnership between rehabilitation agencies and corporations in the private sector.

The Lighthouse Geriatric Rehabilitation Program works to help the growing population of visually impaired older adults maintain their independence and encourages them to participate in community activities.

A special forum for individuals to respond in detail to material published in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness or to raise issues which relate to the specialized field of work with blind and visually handicapped persons. Contributions should be 350-1000 words in length.

For listing in “Calendar,” submit the meeting name, the sponsor, the site and dates, address, phone number and name of contact person—no later than four months before the meeting date.

Meeting reports (500-750 words long) should be of national interest, include descriptions of content and some identifiable outcomes and recommendations. Reports on official conferences of membership organizations should include names and affiliations of new officers.