Search

Introduction: This research followed the lead of an initial validation study and responded to the call from the state education agency--endorsed Service Intensity Subcommittee of the Texas Action Committee for the Education of Students with Visual Impairments to conduct a larger scale validation study on the Visual Impairment Scale of Service Intensity of Texas (VISSIT). Methods: The authors collected survey data from 77 respondents using a mixedmethods survey research design. These data were used to determine the VISSIT's validity and reliability. Participants represented urban, suburban, and rural geographic regions across 20 U.S. states. Results: The results of the national study showed that the VISSIT has social validity, which was supported by both ease of use and acceptability of the tool. The VISSIT's consequential and content validity were also supported by the data collected. The internal consistency reliability showed reliability for the VISSIT with a Cronbach's alpha calculated as being .935. Based on the results presented here, in which the social, consequential, and content validity of the VISSIT have been confirmed, it can also be confidently asserted that the VISSIT is construct valid. Discussion: The findings of this national study indicate an overall positive response to the usability and understandability of the VISSIT. Participants used the tool to provide quantifiable documentation to identify accurate student need for service across all expanded core curriculum areas as well as to provide administrators and families with research-based data to justify service type and time. Implications for practitioners: Respondents in the national study saw the VISSIT as an effective way to take student evaluation data and convert those results into a measurable recommendation for service type and intensity. The VISSIT helps a teacher of students with visual impairments to document how much time is needed for both direct and collaborative consultation services, as appropriate for each individual student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study analyzed the accuracy of 107 mathematics worksheets prepared for tactile learners. The mean number of errors was calculated, and we examined whether there was a significant difference in the level of accuracy based on National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) certification or job role of participants. Methods: The authors selected five work sheets representative of mathematics materials transcribed for K-12 students. After completing an online demographic survey, participants prepared at least one of the worksheets and completed an online transcription survey about how they prepared each worksheet. Results: The majority of the 59 participants spent less than 30 minutes transcribing each worksheet, and the predominant method for production was the use of braille translation software. Overall, participants had a high level of accuracy on the literary braille portions of the worksheets. There was variability in the accuracy of the Nemeth elements, formatting, and tactile graphic labels across the transcriptions. Significant differences existed between the means of errors in formatting and literary braille according to NLS certification status and, to a lesser extent, job role. There was not a significant difference in the accuracy of Nemeth elements in the majority of the worksheets according to certification status or job role. There were no significant differences in the preparation of the worksheets based on primary production method. Discussion: There was variability in how materials were prepared for tactile readers and in the quality of the transcriptions. Implications for practitioners: Variation in how materials are presented to tactile readers, including the formatting of headings and directions, can affect the ease of scanning and reading of materials. Inconsistencies, omissions, and errors have the potential to impact the ability of readers to understand and access information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The study presented here investigated the ways in which students who read braille were able to complete geometric tasks and how they constructed mental representations of the shapes of objects. Methods: Data were collected in an educational experiment conducted as a geometry course for students who read braille. A case study approach was used to study two students, aged 10 and 11, who were competent in mathematics. Results: The two students complemented their multiple manual explorations with body movements and postures that corresponded to characteristic features of the shapes of objects. They typically rotated small three-dimensional objects and experimented with the objects' point of balance. Another important result is that they continually measured geometric properties, such as length, area, and volume, as part of their way of "seeing" the shapes of objects. Discussion: The two students "played with" the physical characteristics of environments. Each used his whole body as an explorative instrument. Thus, the study makes a powerful claim for the idea of embodied mathematics. Implications for practitioners: What seems to be important for students aged 10-11 who read braille is to offer a diversity of objects and geometric figures, not only prototypes. Teachers should challenge students to talk about the dimensions of objects in everyday language and in natural situations as a prerequisite to the transition to studying standard units in numerical measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study compared the level of satisfaction of 101 graduates with a distance education versus an on-campus program. Methods: A self-administered anonymous survey was used to gather information about satisfaction from the recent graduates of a university personnel preparation program in visual impairments (response rate = 57.7%). The survey measured graduates' satisfaction with their programs in six subareas: (1) faculty-student interaction, (2) student-student interaction, (3) fairness of evaluations, (4) organization of courses, (5) adequacy of the difficulty of courses, and (6) practicum or internship experience. Results: The program modality was not a significant predictor of overall satisfaction with a program once we controlled for the confounding variables, including age, program area, and presence of visual impairments (-.277 -.226, 95% CI). However, it was a significant independent predictor of faculty-student interaction (.616 - .012, 95% CI) and student-student interaction (-.875 - -.073, 95% CI). Discussion: There was no significant difference in the two groups of graduates' overall satisfaction with the program, but although the findings are preliminary in nature, the graduates from the on-campus program indicated a higher level of faculty-student and student-student interactions. Implications for practitioners: Given the findings of this study, prospective students who are interested in university personnel preparation programs in visual impairments may consider distance education programs an option that may satisfy them. Similarly, these programs may consider continuing their distance education programs as a satisfactory option for many students. However, the lower level of faculty-student and student-student interactions perceived by the distance education graduates may suggest a need to ensure a mechanism that facilitates such interactions more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study surveyed teachers of students with visual impairments in Texas on their perceptions of a set of assistive technology competencies developed for teachers of students with visual impairments by Smith and colleagues (2009). Differences in opinion between practicing teachers of students with visual impairments and Smith's group of educational experts are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study reported here was to identify the needs of educators in the field of visual impairment who work with students from diverse backgrounds. The 204 participants reported areas of need, including culturally responsive teaching and practicum opportunities. Additional findings, recommendations, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]