Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482x221117163
C. Shupin, Brenda Naimy, N. Casias
Over the last decade, many local education agencies (LEAs) across California imposed significant restrictions on community-based orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction. Administrators from these LEAs prohibited O&M Specialists from transporting students off-campus for instruction, with one large Southern California district going so far as to direct O&M specialists to rewrite existing IEP goals that required transportation. Consequently, students who attended schools governed by these LEAs were denied access to the community-based O&M instruction to which they were entitled under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), known as IDEA. Orientation and mobility specialists in both Northern and Southern California LEAs attempted various advocacy efforts within their districts, including educating administrators on the legal rights of their students to communitybased instruction, as well as submitting letters of support from the California Association of Orientation & Mobility Specialists (CAOMS). These unsuccessful advocacy efforts within individual LEAs led to the recognition that a statewide approach would be needed. In 2017, CAOMS and the California Council of the Blind (CCB) partnered to start a grassroots movement to resolve the problem. They succeeded in passing a law entitled “Expanded core curriculum: visually impaired pupils,” (AB-947, 2019), amending California’s Education Code. This law affirms the rights of students with visual impairments to community-based evaluation and instruction as needed in both familiar and unfamiliar environments, in “varying lighting conditions,” and outside of school hours, with transportation to support these services. It also authorizes LEAs to consider elements of the expanded core curriculum (ECC) when developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This report describes our procedures, which can serve as a model for other
{"title":"Advocating for Off-Campus Orientation and Mobility Instruction in California: A Successful Grassroots Movement","authors":"C. Shupin, Brenda Naimy, N. Casias","doi":"10.1177/0145482x221117163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x221117163","url":null,"abstract":"Over the last decade, many local education agencies (LEAs) across California imposed significant restrictions on community-based orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction. Administrators from these LEAs prohibited O&M Specialists from transporting students off-campus for instruction, with one large Southern California district going so far as to direct O&M specialists to rewrite existing IEP goals that required transportation. Consequently, students who attended schools governed by these LEAs were denied access to the community-based O&M instruction to which they were entitled under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), known as IDEA. Orientation and mobility specialists in both Northern and Southern California LEAs attempted various advocacy efforts within their districts, including educating administrators on the legal rights of their students to communitybased instruction, as well as submitting letters of support from the California Association of Orientation & Mobility Specialists (CAOMS). These unsuccessful advocacy efforts within individual LEAs led to the recognition that a statewide approach would be needed. In 2017, CAOMS and the California Council of the Blind (CCB) partnered to start a grassroots movement to resolve the problem. They succeeded in passing a law entitled “Expanded core curriculum: visually impaired pupils,” (AB-947, 2019), amending California’s Education Code. This law affirms the rights of students with visual impairments to community-based evaluation and instruction as needed in both familiar and unfamiliar environments, in “varying lighting conditions,” and outside of school hours, with transportation to support these services. It also authorizes LEAs to consider elements of the expanded core curriculum (ECC) when developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This report describes our procedures, which can serve as a model for other","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"546 - 551"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43579213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482x221124178
S. Lewis
Readers who subscribe to the print issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) may have been tempted to offer their postal carrier some sympathy for having had to carry the giant-sized March-April 2022 issue to their mailboxes. At 176 pages, it was by far the longest, most dense, issue that the journal has published in a long time. Even the fingers of scrolling online readers, reviewing the table of contents, no doubt were fatigued by the time its end was reached. What a great summer treat to have that issue arrive just when work was slowing down a bit. And, if you haven’t already noticed, this July–August 2022 issue brings more of the same—15 research and practice articles from which to select the ones that best match your need for professional growth. There are plenty of research and practice papers in this issue, which offers double the opportunities to learn about any number of topics. Two articles on assistive technology: Tuttle and Carter describe the results of their survey of teachers of students with visual impairments about assistive technology use among their students; Booths has explored this same subject from the perspective of students. Two articles on orientation and mobility: Ambrose-Zakin’s research report focuses on a device designed to improve independent walking in young children with visual impairments and Rashid and colleagues focus on their findings of a study that compared postural sway in women with and without visual impairments. Two articles on assessment: of glare evaluation by Maffit et al. and of cognition using a haptic nonverbal approach by Cassar et al. Two papers related to tactile graphics: Gupta et al.’s study demonstrating that tactile shapes can be used to facilitate encoding of new information and their suggestions for design strategies for tactile materials; design strategies for tactile graphics are also a topic that Wu et al. also explore. There are two Practice Reports of specific interest to rehabilitation therapists: one by Farrow on using knitting and crocheting to create social connections and one by Moffitt et al. on the value of developing and using a comprehensive resource list. Finally, two articles on personnel preparation are included: one by Probst and Morgan describing a national intervenor training project and another by Harpster exploring the need for training in cortical visual impairment by teachers of students with visual impairments and occupational therapists. Other informative articles include one by McDonnall and colleagues on the earnings of people with visual impairments, a historiography on audio-description by Koirala and Oppegaard, and a description of successful advocacy efforts by professionals in California to improve access to off-campus orientation and mobility instruction by Shupin et al. Why the sudden explosion of papers published in JVIB? When SAGE first began publishing the journal in 2018, a strict limit on the number of pages that each issue could co
{"title":"As JVIB Publishes Another Double Issue Teaming With Research and Practice, Everybody Wins","authors":"S. Lewis","doi":"10.1177/0145482x221124178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x221124178","url":null,"abstract":"Readers who subscribe to the print issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) may have been tempted to offer their postal carrier some sympathy for having had to carry the giant-sized March-April 2022 issue to their mailboxes. At 176 pages, it was by far the longest, most dense, issue that the journal has published in a long time. Even the fingers of scrolling online readers, reviewing the table of contents, no doubt were fatigued by the time its end was reached. What a great summer treat to have that issue arrive just when work was slowing down a bit. And, if you haven’t already noticed, this July–August 2022 issue brings more of the same—15 research and practice articles from which to select the ones that best match your need for professional growth. There are plenty of research and practice papers in this issue, which offers double the opportunities to learn about any number of topics. Two articles on assistive technology: Tuttle and Carter describe the results of their survey of teachers of students with visual impairments about assistive technology use among their students; Booths has explored this same subject from the perspective of students. Two articles on orientation and mobility: Ambrose-Zakin’s research report focuses on a device designed to improve independent walking in young children with visual impairments and Rashid and colleagues focus on their findings of a study that compared postural sway in women with and without visual impairments. Two articles on assessment: of glare evaluation by Maffit et al. and of cognition using a haptic nonverbal approach by Cassar et al. Two papers related to tactile graphics: Gupta et al.’s study demonstrating that tactile shapes can be used to facilitate encoding of new information and their suggestions for design strategies for tactile materials; design strategies for tactile graphics are also a topic that Wu et al. also explore. There are two Practice Reports of specific interest to rehabilitation therapists: one by Farrow on using knitting and crocheting to create social connections and one by Moffitt et al. on the value of developing and using a comprehensive resource list. Finally, two articles on personnel preparation are included: one by Probst and Morgan describing a national intervenor training project and another by Harpster exploring the need for training in cortical visual impairment by teachers of students with visual impairments and occupational therapists. Other informative articles include one by McDonnall and colleagues on the earnings of people with visual impairments, a historiography on audio-description by Koirala and Oppegaard, and a description of successful advocacy efforts by professionals in California to improve access to off-campus orientation and mobility instruction by Shupin et al. Why the sudden explosion of papers published in JVIB? When SAGE first began publishing the journal in 2018, a strict limit on the number of pages that each issue could co","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"449 - 450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42281271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482X221120022
Autumn L. Booths
Students who have visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) have additional difficulties accessing educational materials as compared to their typically sighted peers. Research indicates a principal barrier faced by children who are visually impaired is that educational materials are not being provided on a consistent basis in the students’ preferred reading format (Opie, 2018). It is important for students who have visual impairments to be provided curriculum via instructional modifications or assistive technology to support their unique and individual learning needs. Assistive technology promotes increased independence for students who are visually impaired, regardless of their ability level, and enables them to perform tasks that would otherwise have been difficult or impossible to perform (Allman & Lewis, 2014). According to Smith and Kelley, teacher preparation programs “have an obligation to train teachers in the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation to provide a bridge between students and technology” (2007, p. 429). Allman and Lewis (2014) report that teachers of students with visual impairments need to be prepared to teach their students assistive technology skills that are both general and device-specific, depending on the student’s needs. These skills are necessary to allow for students’ full participation in their education, employment, and daily life. However, devices can become an additional obstacle for students with a visual impairment to overcome if they are not trained and educated in the use of appropriate assistive technology. Research suggests teachers of students with visual impairments are receiving limited training in assistive technology, and the evaluation process for assistive technology during their teacher preparation programs. It is noted that, as early as 1990, teachers of students with visual impairments lacked confidence in their ability to successfully teach assistive technology; these problems persist nearly two decades later (Abner & Lahm, 2002; Parker et al., 1990; Smith & Kelley, 2007). If teachers of students with visual impairments are not confident in their abilities regarding assistive technology, students will continue to receive services that are not meeting their needs. Despite the lack of a standard assistive technology evaluation, there are various tools that may be utilized to help guide assistive
{"title":"Perceptions of High-Tech Assistive Technology Held by Students With Visual Impairments","authors":"Autumn L. Booths","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221120022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221120022","url":null,"abstract":"Students who have visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) have additional difficulties accessing educational materials as compared to their typically sighted peers. Research indicates a principal barrier faced by children who are visually impaired is that educational materials are not being provided on a consistent basis in the students’ preferred reading format (Opie, 2018). It is important for students who have visual impairments to be provided curriculum via instructional modifications or assistive technology to support their unique and individual learning needs. Assistive technology promotes increased independence for students who are visually impaired, regardless of their ability level, and enables them to perform tasks that would otherwise have been difficult or impossible to perform (Allman & Lewis, 2014). According to Smith and Kelley, teacher preparation programs “have an obligation to train teachers in the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation to provide a bridge between students and technology” (2007, p. 429). Allman and Lewis (2014) report that teachers of students with visual impairments need to be prepared to teach their students assistive technology skills that are both general and device-specific, depending on the student’s needs. These skills are necessary to allow for students’ full participation in their education, employment, and daily life. However, devices can become an additional obstacle for students with a visual impairment to overcome if they are not trained and educated in the use of appropriate assistive technology. Research suggests teachers of students with visual impairments are receiving limited training in assistive technology, and the evaluation process for assistive technology during their teacher preparation programs. It is noted that, as early as 1990, teachers of students with visual impairments lacked confidence in their ability to successfully teach assistive technology; these problems persist nearly two decades later (Abner & Lahm, 2002; Parker et al., 1990; Smith & Kelley, 2007). If teachers of students with visual impairments are not confident in their abilities regarding assistive technology, students will continue to receive services that are not meeting their needs. Despite the lack of a standard assistive technology evaluation, there are various tools that may be utilized to help guide assistive","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"558 - 562"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49069752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482X221124186
Ethan Waisberg, Joshua Ong, P. Paladugu, Nasif Zaman, Sharif Amit Kamran, Andrew Lee, A. Tavakkoli
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness and is diagnosed as early-stage or late-stage. Early-stage AMD is usually asymptomatic and entails pigmentary changes in the retina (Ayoub & Patel, 2009). As the disorder progresses, there are atrophic or neovascular changes that distort vision, especially the central visual field (Ayoub & Patel, 2009). There are several genetic and nongenetic risk factors for AMD and no proven therapy to slow or reverse late-stage atrophic AMD, although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) has effectively treated latestage neovascular AMD. Several genes of interest have also been investigated thoroughly thus far in their connection to AMD and the complement factor H (CFH) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) genes have shown promise in understanding the genetic basis of the disorder (Awh et al., 2013). There are other epigenetic and environmental factors as well including smoking and low antioxidant levels (Cano et al., 2010). Ongoing investigations include antioxidant supplementation and a smoking cessation regimen to reverse earlystage AMD (Cano et al., 2010). Progress in treating AMD as a disorder across its varied stages requires newer therapeutics along with a more detailed understanding of the genetic and cellular pathways of pathophysiology is needed to better counter this prevalent disorder of the eye.
{"title":"Optimizing Screening for Preventable Blindness With Head-Mounted Visual Assessment Technology","authors":"Ethan Waisberg, Joshua Ong, P. Paladugu, Nasif Zaman, Sharif Amit Kamran, Andrew Lee, A. Tavakkoli","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221124186","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221124186","url":null,"abstract":"Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness and is diagnosed as early-stage or late-stage. Early-stage AMD is usually asymptomatic and entails pigmentary changes in the retina (Ayoub & Patel, 2009). As the disorder progresses, there are atrophic or neovascular changes that distort vision, especially the central visual field (Ayoub & Patel, 2009). There are several genetic and nongenetic risk factors for AMD and no proven therapy to slow or reverse late-stage atrophic AMD, although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) has effectively treated latestage neovascular AMD. Several genes of interest have also been investigated thoroughly thus far in their connection to AMD and the complement factor H (CFH) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) genes have shown promise in understanding the genetic basis of the disorder (Awh et al., 2013). There are other epigenetic and environmental factors as well including smoking and low antioxidant levels (Cano et al., 2010). Ongoing investigations include antioxidant supplementation and a smoking cessation regimen to reverse earlystage AMD (Cano et al., 2010). Progress in treating AMD as a disorder across its varied stages requires newer therapeutics along with a more detailed understanding of the genetic and cellular pathways of pathophysiology is needed to better counter this prevalent disorder of the eye.","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"579 - 581"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42699702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482x221124183
Anthony R. Candela
{"title":"The Struggle: A Necessary Component of Disability Freedom","authors":"Anthony R. Candela","doi":"10.1177/0145482x221124183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x221124183","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"582 - 584"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45789486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482X221120021
M. Rashid, Sherin Siby, Sandeep P. H., Anoop Joy, A. Gopi, Jerin Mathew, K. Raja
Introduction: Comparison of sway parameters of visually impaired participants to that of the sighted population may give insight into the intrinsic risk of falls relative to the surface. Sway is a natural mechanism to adjust the posture and maintain balance. But the sway characteristics on uneven surfaces are ill explored. There is a paucity of evidence on baseline values of sway amplitude in visually impaired women in comparison to sighted women, which underpins the importance of this study. Methods: Eighteen visually impaired young women and an equal number of age-matched sighted peers were recruited by convenience to this prospective observational study. Sway amplitude of the participants were measured using a sway meter on three different surfaces, with eyes opened and closed conditions, using videography and analyzed using Kinovea motion analyzing software. Demographics and participant characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. The comparison were performed using independent sample t-test. Results: Visually impaired women demonstrated lower amplitude of sway than sighted young women, irrespective of the surface. Discussion: There was a gradual increase in sway amplitude as the standing surfaces changed from even to sand and pebbles, respectively, for both groups. Implications for Practitioners: Contrary to the existing evidence, the results of this study indicate that visually impaired young individuals may not be not at higher intrinsic risk of falls on various terrains than their sighted peers. The authors hypothesize that the lower sway among visually impaired participants can be attributed to the learned strategy for safety from exposure to real-life pragmatic environments during everyday activities, which enabled them to adopt postural strategies as a safety measure. Hence, this strategy can potentially be used in dynamic situations to decrease the propensity for falls during ambulation in visually impaired individuals.
{"title":"Decreased Postural Sway in Women Who Are Visually Impaired: Is it a Learned Protective Mechanism?","authors":"M. Rashid, Sherin Siby, Sandeep P. H., Anoop Joy, A. Gopi, Jerin Mathew, K. Raja","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221120021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221120021","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Comparison of sway parameters of visually impaired participants to that of the sighted population may give insight into the intrinsic risk of falls relative to the surface. Sway is a natural mechanism to adjust the posture and maintain balance. But the sway characteristics on uneven surfaces are ill explored. There is a paucity of evidence on baseline values of sway amplitude in visually impaired women in comparison to sighted women, which underpins the importance of this study. Methods: Eighteen visually impaired young women and an equal number of age-matched sighted peers were recruited by convenience to this prospective observational study. Sway amplitude of the participants were measured using a sway meter on three different surfaces, with eyes opened and closed conditions, using videography and analyzed using Kinovea motion analyzing software. Demographics and participant characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. The comparison were performed using independent sample t-test. Results: Visually impaired women demonstrated lower amplitude of sway than sighted young women, irrespective of the surface. Discussion: There was a gradual increase in sway amplitude as the standing surfaces changed from even to sand and pebbles, respectively, for both groups. Implications for Practitioners: Contrary to the existing evidence, the results of this study indicate that visually impaired young individuals may not be not at higher intrinsic risk of falls on various terrains than their sighted peers. The authors hypothesize that the lower sway among visually impaired participants can be attributed to the learned strategy for safety from exposure to real-life pragmatic environments during everyday activities, which enabled them to adopt postural strategies as a safety measure. Hence, this strategy can potentially be used in dynamic situations to decrease the propensity for falls during ambulation in visually impaired individuals.","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"91 3","pages":"517 - 525"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41308270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482X221124867
Richa Gupta, S. Mannheimer, P. V. Madhusudan Rao, M. Balakrishnan
Introduction: This work investigates if simple two-dimensional (2D) tactile shapes can facilitate encoding, retention, and retrieval of associated information in the form of one-word labels. It also questions the need for the resemblance of tactile graphics with respective visual referents. Methods: Four experiments were conducted using recall tasks with verbal and tactual triggers. Students who are blind from schools for blind students in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) and New Delhi (India) participated in these experiments. Participants learned 12 shapes with assigned (two sets of) one-word labels categorized as consonant, dissonant, or abstract. Recall tasks were conducted after 1 week and after 4 months using verbal and tactual triggers. Results: The results of experiment 1 show that recall performance for consonant associations was higher than that for dissonant and abstract. Experiment 2 shows the recall performance using orally narrated verbal triggers, while experiments 3 and 4 use tactile triggers (both verbal and shape). Additionally, in experiment 4, the participants were observed recalling most associations after 4 months. Tactile verbal triggers (braille) invoked better recall accuracy as compared to tactile shape triggers. Discussion: The results and discussion with schema theory suggest that resemblance to visual referent (or similarity of tactile shape with real-life visual stimuli) is not necessary for learning associated labels. Additionally, simple 2D tactile shapes can support long-term retention of associated verbal information. The presence of primacy effect (better retention of first few associations) and distinctiveness effect (better retention of unique associations). Implications for Practitioners: The inferences of this work can influence the redesign of educational material and pedagogy for students with blindness by: (1) contributing to the development of a standardized set of symbols with associated meanings and using them for book annotation or indicating the genre of a graphic; (2) using simple tactile images instead of complex “visually correct” images.
{"title":"Evaluating the Use of Tactile Shapes in Associative Learning for People Who Are Blind","authors":"Richa Gupta, S. Mannheimer, P. V. Madhusudan Rao, M. Balakrishnan","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221124867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221124867","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: This work investigates if simple two-dimensional (2D) tactile shapes can facilitate encoding, retention, and retrieval of associated information in the form of one-word labels. It also questions the need for the resemblance of tactile graphics with respective visual referents. Methods: Four experiments were conducted using recall tasks with verbal and tactual triggers. Students who are blind from schools for blind students in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) and New Delhi (India) participated in these experiments. Participants learned 12 shapes with assigned (two sets of) one-word labels categorized as consonant, dissonant, or abstract. Recall tasks were conducted after 1 week and after 4 months using verbal and tactual triggers. Results: The results of experiment 1 show that recall performance for consonant associations was higher than that for dissonant and abstract. Experiment 2 shows the recall performance using orally narrated verbal triggers, while experiments 3 and 4 use tactile triggers (both verbal and shape). Additionally, in experiment 4, the participants were observed recalling most associations after 4 months. Tactile verbal triggers (braille) invoked better recall accuracy as compared to tactile shape triggers. Discussion: The results and discussion with schema theory suggest that resemblance to visual referent (or similarity of tactile shape with real-life visual stimuli) is not necessary for learning associated labels. Additionally, simple 2D tactile shapes can support long-term retention of associated verbal information. The presence of primacy effect (better retention of first few associations) and distinctiveness effect (better retention of unique associations). Implications for Practitioners: The inferences of this work can influence the redesign of educational material and pedagogy for students with blindness by: (1) contributing to the development of a standardized set of symbols with associated meanings and using them for book annotation or indicating the genre of a graphic; (2) using simple tactile images instead of complex “visually correct” images.","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"496 - 506"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47966297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01DOI: 10.1177/0145482X221117180
Kendra Farrow
Two factors identified in populations that live the longest healthiest lives include having a purpose for living and good social connections (Buettner, 2012). When vision loss occurs, individuals face changes that affect their entire lives. For instance, loss of a driver’s license reduces a person’s independence by curtailing their ability to go out where and whenever they desire, leading to limited opportunities to participate in social and leisure activities (Berger, 2012). Participation in leisure activities has been found to be a predictor of independence in instrumental activities of daily living (Chen & Chippendale, 2017). The role of the vision rehabilitation therapist (VRT) is to help consumers to adapt household, work, and leisure activities so that they can be completed safely, accurately, and independently (ACVREP, 2020). Crocheting and knitting are leisure activities that have purpose. The result of the activity is a product such as a hat, scarf, or blanket that can be used and enjoyed. Additionally, handmade items are unique and often cherished by the people who receive them. The time and energy expended is a labor of love that is also therapeutic to the one whomade it. Johnson and Post (2017) assert that medical professionals should prescribe giving to others and volunteerism because they increase physical and emotional well-being, opportunities for social connections, and provide meaning and purpose to life. Researchers have found that two or more hours of participation in creative arts each week results in increased well-being (Davies et al., 2016). Over 3000 knitters who were surveyed and who knitted three or more times per week, reported better moods (Corckhill et al., 2013). Additionally, those knitters who knitted with a group were more confident, had a sense of belonging, made new social connections, and were more likely to learn new skills (Corckhill et al., 2013). Historically, individuals who are visually impaired (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) have been taught handicrafts like chaircaning or weaving (Nordstrom, 1986). Vocational skills, like knitting and broom making, were taught at schools for blind students (Apple, 2006) and provided unique outlets for contributing to community needs (Welland,
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Pub Date : 2022-07-01Epub Date: 2022-09-23DOI: 10.1177/0145482x221121830
Michele C McDonnall, Jennifer L Cmar, Zhen S McKnight
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