Rehabilitation of the blind amputee: a rewarding experience

The process and philosophy used in the rehabilitation of two blind amputees are discussed. It is recognized that the number of persons with marked or total loss of vision who will require rehabilitation is going to increase in the future. These blind patients offer a challenge to the rehabilitation team, but they can be successfully returned to a preoperative level of independence and must be given every opportunity to do so.

Optometry residency in low vision rehabilitation: a cooperative program

A cooperative Optometry Residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation has been established by the Optometry Sections at Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, Westside Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Illinois College of Optometry. The objective of this program is to train optometrists to function within, develop and direct clinical low vision programs in multidisciplinary settings. This optometry residency is unique in that it provides experience in delivering clinical low vision services in both inpatient and outpatient settings for patients of all ages during all stages of the clinical course of their disease, treatment and rehabilitation. Clinical rotations include the Optometry Section at the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center, the Chicago VICTORS Program, the Low Vision Clinic and affiliated Low Vision Clinics of the Illinois College of Optometry.

Reactions to blindness: a four-year follow-up study

A previously studied group of newly blind adults was followed up after four years. There was only a slight increase in the acquisition of blind skills, while there was a surprising continuing pervasiveness of depression and poor health. A number of variables from the original study and from the follow-up data predicted outcome measures. Significant predictors of depression and distress were poor health, being married, being nonProtestant in this predominantly Protestant London population, and lacking ability to be more independent. Higher social class and an absence of a family history of blindness predicted greater distress. Earlier acceptance of blindness, early learning of blind skills, and better preillness adjustment predicted better coping and greater use of blind skills at follow-up. The extent of the depression and poor health are discussed, and recommendations are made for caregivers.

The physically disabled dentist: 10 years' experience at the Kriser Institute

This article outlines the origins, development, and current status of the David B. Kriser Institute for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Dentists. During its first decade of existence this unique facility has provided retraining for more than 30 physically disabled dentists who have subsequently been able to resume dental practice. A case study highlights the Institute's mode of operation.

Visual hallucinations: meaning and management

Visual hallucinations of low vision patients may serve as indicators of trauma, illness and psychological disturbance or concerns. Routine inquiry about them is suggested and two case illustrations of this procedure are presented. Primary consideration is management of patient anxiety and fear, as well as indications for referral to allied professions. The incidence of hallucinations is very likely under-reported, though detailed exploration of the parameters of hallucinations in the visually impaired population can enhance existing knowledge and often alleviate fears of mental illness.

[A computer-controlled telephone exchange for improving the occupational possibilities of blind patients]

Working conditions in telephone exchanges are undergoing major changes with the penetration of computer technology. Although overall telephone utilization continues to grow, more and more jobs are being lost by the impact of rationalization. Operator jobs in private exchanges, at the same time, rank high among the job opportunities for disabled people, specifically for the blind. Workstation adaptations, on the other hand, are a valuable working aid for all blind or visually impaired operators, in that they use blindness-adapted information output via the Braille terminal. Pins (dots) being used to represent written information on a braille keyboard, the device in this application is not used as an input but for output purposes. The information a sighted person reads from an LC (line) display, is literally "put at the fingertips" of a blind operator. Following an overview of technical details of both conventional and adapted exchanges, the present report deals with operator training and employment opportunities for blind persons in private branch exchanges.

The effect of receiver beamwidth on the detection time of a message from Talking Signs, an auditory orientation aid for the blind

Talking Signs, an orientation aid for blind people, delivering an auditory message through a loudspeaker in a receiver, presupposes that the user directs his/her receiver to a transmitter in order to get the message. The time of making this orientation of the receiver and detecting the message was studied, when the beamwidth of the receiver was varied. The results indicated that detection time decreased with increasing beamwidth, but the difference between the two widest beamwidths was not significant. When considering also direction accuracy, it is likely that optimal detection time is gained with a beamwidth of about 24 degrees. It was also found, that some subjects decreased their detection time with training. No differences were found between blind and sighted participants.

Persistent behavioural blindness after early visual deprivation and active visual rehabilitation: a case report

Early long lasting binocular deprivation results in behavioural blindness in both man and experimental animals. However, few reported cases show that visual rehabilitation may improve visual behaviour. A 34-year-old man who had experienced 30 years of binocular deprivation due to bilateral cataracts received visual rehabilitation for one year. The rehabilitation included training in eye-hand co-ordination, recognition of objects, evaluation of distance and size, and mobility training. Despite signs of recovery of visual functions the patient never started to use vision in his normal life. The negative outcome of the rehabilitation is partly attributed to the patient's motivational problems and to the relatively short rehabilitation time. Visual rehabilitation may be successful when started immediately after the corrective operation on the eyes when the level of motivation is also high.

Training of color and form identification in cortical blindness: a case study

A procedure was developed for retraining color and form identification in a multiply handicapped cortically blind adolescent girl who had sustained anoxic brain damage. Treatment involved systematic presentation of four different colored shapes with verbal feedback on performance. The trainer used a multiple choice procedure and traced the edge of the stimulus with a pointer. The patient attained near perfect performance with the four colored shapes in less than 10 sessions, while identification of visual and tactile stimulus materials not used in training remained essentially unchanged. Results suggest a specific effect of training on performance.

An inexpensive and portable talking-tactile terminal for the visually handicapped

The visually handicapped computer user or programmer is faced with a very difficult task in interfacing with computing hardware. The types of equipment currently available for this purpose fall into one of several general categories: expensive, nonportable, and domain-specific. In the current paper, we describe a new terminal device designed specifically for the visually handicapped that answers all of the problems mentioned above. The work is already under way, with a prototype model is currently in use by a visually handicapped programmer on the development team. In the remainder of this paper we will present a report on the current status of our project as well as plans and milestones for future work.

[Locomotion and traffic behavior of vision-impaired persons]

After briefly differentiating the terms visual impairment, profound visual impairment, and blindness, the authors address the mobility problems of blind and visually impaired persons. The second part of the contribution presents and discusses the main findings of a study, conducted by the authors in 1982, concerning the mobility of blind and profoundly visually impaired persons, including, in particular, the problems encountered by this population in using public transport.

Needs analysis for teachers of the visually impaired

The needs of educators dealing with low vision children were assessed by use of a mailed questionnaire. Teachers of the visually impaired (VH) of the Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, and Long Beach City districts comprised the sample population. Analysis of the results revealed unmet needs in the following areas: teachers' knowledge in use of low vision aids, lack of low vision assessment by vision care specialists for their students, difficulty with adequacy of eye reports, and lack of communication with their students' eye care specialists. Recommendations are made for improvement of these problem areas.