The Impacts of Assistive Technology for the Blind and Visually Impaired

For this research project the topic I have chosen to cover is, "The impacts of assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired." I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using advanced technology to promote development. I will also look at how assistive technology is being implemented and what effects it has on the visually impaired. There are approximately 10 to 11 million blind and visually impaired people in North America, and their visual abilities vary almost as much as their ethnic, racial, and personal characteristics do. The term "visual impairment" covers a wide range and variety of vision, from blindness and lack of usable sight; to low vision, which cannot be corrected to normal vision with standard eyeglasses or contact lenses; to moderate visual impairment and an inability to read the fine print in a daily newspaper. People who are visually impaired, like everyone else, pursue a great range of interests and careers and participate in the full range of daily activities. They may need to receive training in various adaptive techniques in order to do so, and educational and other services and products are designed and available for this purpose. Federal and state estimates used for planning educational services do not adequately account for the number of children in the United States who are blind or visually impaired. In some cases, only students who are legally blind are reported, ignoring those who have difficulty seeing but do not qualify as "legally" blind. In other instances, children who are visually impaired and have other disabilities such as mental retardation are not counted as visually impaired because they are reported in other federally defined categories, such as multiple disabilities. Tragically, because many 3 professionals lack the specialized skills necessary to

References: Van Huijgevoort, Toos. (2002) Coping with a visual impairment through self- investigation. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 96, Abner, G. H. & Lahm, E. A. (2002) Implementation of assistive technology with students who are visually impaired: Teachers ' readiness. Journal of visual impairment and blindness, 96,