Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

Children and adolescents who are congenitally and adventitiously blind were divided into four age groups and introduced to two different unfamiliar environments (small and large) in a maximum of four trials. Spatial representation was assessed through the subjects’ construction of models and estimates of distance. It was found that age is the most important factor, while learning seems to play a subordinate role in the development of spatial representation of blind people.

This article contends that the ongoing debate about the necessity of vision in teaching cane travel is misguided. The debate as traditionally framed is dissolved once the focus is shifted from the instructor's teaching to the student's learning. Kuhn's analysis of scientific revolutions and the importance of the cognitive dimension in cane travel are used to propose an alternative model of rehabilitation teaching.

This article describes the development of a test for assessing the visual functioning (capacity, processing, and attention) of visually impaired infants and preschool children and its underlying factor structure.

This article reports on a study of the effects of a 16-week aerobic exercise training on the cardiovascular fitness and body composition of 30 visually impaired students from the Alabama School for the Blind (the ET group) versus traditional physical education classes for a group of sighted students from a local public school (the PE group). Whereas the ET group showed a significant increase in cardiovascular fitness and a significant decrease in body composition after training, no significant changes were noted in the PE group.

The American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB's) National Technology Center and the Orientation and Mobility Training Program at California State University, Los Angeles, worked jointly to develop and evaluate a “kiddy cane” for use with young blind children aged 2–6. The prototype cane was designed at AFB and field tested by orientation and mobility specialists in southern California who worked with young children. Initial modifications were made on the basis of feedback from the specialists. Ongoing evaluation from the field is desired to make further improvements in the cane.