Discussion of the selection and use of teaching aids and standard materials in the lower school at Perkins School for the Blind

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Assessing the impact of reading for blind and partially sighted adults

RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) has amassed a body of qualitative evidence on the value and impact of reading for blind and partially sighted people, but this was lacking in quantitative support, and could not be compared with the developing evidence base relating to the impact of reading on the wider population. RNIB commissioned LISU and The Reading Agency to undertake independent research to address these issues, the key findings of which are outlined in this report

SEMIOTICS OF SOCIAL MEMORY IN URBAN SPACE: THE CASE OF VOLGOGRAD (STALINGRAD)

Social memory as a kind of collective memory is connected with the strategies and practices of perpetuating the memory about important events, and city as a commemorative space can be viewed as a sign and as a text. The semiotic means encoding social phenomena and events represent the system of denotation, while the ways of place naming represent the culturally conditioned system of connotation operating behind the denotation code. The semiotics of social memory was examined by the example of the city of Volgograd (Stalingrad), the landscape of which appeals to a most significant historical event – the Great Patriotic War (World War II) – and can be conveniently described by means of Ch. S. Peirce’s classification of signs in which icons include signs denoting war heroes and represented by their sculptural images; indices include signs denoting artifacts associated with the war events; symbols are represented by toponymy signs characterized by the connotations of heroic deeds; all these signs representing cultural and political values specific for the Volgograd society. The semiotic density of social memory representation may be considered a ground for shaping the city’s ‘imagined community’ (the term suggested by B. Anderson, 1983) of a particular kind

Технические средства реабилитации людей с ограничением жизнедеятельности: методическая разработка по английскому языку для студентов-дефектологов

The article is devoted to the methodic working studies in English for special needs students. The aim of studies is development skills in reading special texts containing vocabulary for communication in English with socially handicapped people.В статье представлен конспект занятия по английскому языку для студентов-дефектологов. Цель занятия — совершенствование навыков чтения специальных текстов, содержащих лексико-речевые конструкции, необходимые для осуществления коммуникации на английском языке в сфере образования лиц с ограниченными возможностями здоровья

“There’s no good excuse for the kind of shit I’ve made up” : a Narratological-empiric investigation into actual readers’ perceptions of unreliability in digital app-novella Pry (2014/2016)

Tässä empiiristä tutkimusotetta ja kirjallisuustieteellistä teoriaa yhdistävässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan epäluotettavan kerronnan toteutumista Samantha Gormanin ja Danny Cannizzaron digitaalisessa iOS-kirjasovelluksessa Pry. Tutkielmassa argumentoidaan, että puhtaasti teoreettinen kirjallisuustiede tarvitsee välttämättä tuekseen empiiristä lukijatutkimusta, mikäli tavoitteena on tuottaa tietoa kerronnallisten rakenteiden todellisista toteutuvista toiminnan muodoista. Tutkielman kolme päätavoitetta ovat (1) kerronnallisen epäluotettavuuden tarkastelu teoksessa, (2) empiirisen lukijatutkimuksen merkittävyyden osoittaminen sekä (3) tutkielmassa käytettyjen menetelmien kriittinen arviointi ja kehittäminen. Tutkielman teoreettisena viitekehyksenä käytetään kertomusten rakenteiden systemaattiseen tarkasteluun perustuvaa narratologiaa. Tutkielmassa hyödynnetään erityisesti Wayne C. Boothin ja James Phelanin kerronnan epäluotettavuutta kuvaavia teorioita, joita kehitetään edelleen empiiriseen tarkasteluun sopiviksi. Lisäksi tutkielmassa tarkastellaan 64 kirjoittajan tuottamia analyyseja multimodaalisesta Prysta sekä laadullisin että määrällisin menetelmin. Suuri osa aineistosta koostuu yhdysvaltalaisten, kanadalaisten ja uusiseelantilaisten yliopisto-opiskelijoiden kurssisuorituksina julkaistuista blogiteksteistä, mutta aineistoon kuuluu myös ammattimaisten kirjoittajien sekä harrastajien tuottamia analyyseja. Lukijatulkintojen rinnalle tarjotaan tutkielman kirjoittajan oma luenta, jossa Pry tulkitaan kriittisenä, moniäänisyyden mahdollistavana tarkasteluna erinäisten kollektiivien suhteista erityisesti Persianlahden sodassa ja Irakin sodassa, joihin teos kerronnassaan viittaa. Kirjoittajan oman luennan ja muiden lukijatulkintojen väliin muodostuvan jännitteen kautta tutkielma pyrkii osoittamaan, että yksittäisen lukijan valitsema tulkintakehys voi muokata voimakkaasti luennan pohjalta kehitettävää analyysia ja siten kirjallisuustieteellistä teoretisointia. Tutkielmassa havaitaan, että Pryn kerronnalliset elementit voivat tuottaa toisistaan poikkeavia luentoja, minkä vuoksi kerronnan epäluotettavuus näyttäytyy eri lukijoille eri muodossa. Tulkinnat eivät kuitenkaan ole sattumanvaraisia, vaan ne vaikuttavat asettuvan tiettyjen raamien sisään. Tutkielman lopputulema on, että näihin tulkinnallisiin rajapisteisiin tulisi kiinnittää huomiota jatkotutkimuksessa sekä kerronnallisten rakenteiden tarkastelussa ylipäätään

Septo-Optic Dysplasia: Educational Issues

Ninety-nine articles published in professional journals related to septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) or the education of young blind children were reviewed by a special education teacher and parent of a blind one year old boy diagnosed with SOD. The articles were classified by publication type (e.g., research studies, descriptive articles, guides, position papers, reviews of literature). Fifty-three of the 99 articles were research studies; these 53 research studies were classified by research design (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods); the participants and data sources of each study were identified; and the findings of each study were summarized. All 99 articles were then analyzed using a modified version of the Stevick-Callaizi-Keen method to draw out the essential themes of this body of literature. The 11 themes that emerged from this analysis included: (a) septo-optic dysplasia and optic nerve hypoplasia; (b) parenting and early intervention; (c) cognitive development; (d) language development; (e) orientation and mobility; (f) social behavior; (g) assistive technology; (h) educational placement; (i) emergent literacy; (j) Braille literacy; and (k) assessment. These themes were then considered from the author's roles of parent and teacher

Factors related to braille acquisition among adult and senior learners : establishing evidence-based practice

Les difficultés de lecture sont les raisons les plus fréquentes pour lesquelles des personnes sont orientées vers un service de réadaptation visuelle. Bien qu’il existe une base historique solide à propos de l’enseignement du braille chez les enfants aveugles, il existe très peu de données probantes concernant l’apprentissage du braille chez les personnes en âge de travailler et les personnes âgées. De surcroît, bien qu’il soit clair que le vieillissement est associé à un déclin des capacités tactiles, motrices et cognitives, on sait peu de choses sur la manière dont ces variables peuvent influencer les résultats de la lecture du braille. Pour examiner cette problématique, une étude en quatre phases a été conceptualisée. Dans la première phase, une étude de la portée a été menée afin de synthétiser les connaissances existantes concernant la relation entre le déclin des capacités lié au vieillissement et la performance de la lecture en braille. La seconde a voulu étudier les obstacles et les facilitateurs rencontrés par les adultes qui suivent une formation en braille. La troisième a exploré les variables qui sont en corrélation avec la performance de lecture en braille à l’âge adulte. Enfin, la dernière phase a voulu se pencher sur l’influence du support de lecture sur la performance de lecture des adultes ayant une sensibilité tactile réduite. Les preuves antérieures concernant le braille et le vieillissement restent rares. Il existe une variété de facteurs personnels, sociaux et institutionnels qui façonnent le processus d’apprentissage du braille chez les adultes, incluant la stigmatisation envers le braille et le vieillissement perçue par certains praticiens, des services inadéquats et des difficultés à l’accès aux équipements brailles. Des données soulignent la nécessité de commencer l’apprentissage du braille le plus tôt possible, d’évaluer des mesures objectives de l’acuité tactile tout en considérant le rôle de la fonction du toucher, de fournir une formation accrue en matière de perception tactile et d’envisager une plus grande intégration d’appareils braille. Les résultats font également ressortir la nécessité d’augmenter le financement et les services ; de définir des critères d’éligibilité qui tiennent compte des réalités uniques des clients âgés et l’accès au braille ; et d’étudier plus avant le rôle de la stigmatisation vis-à-vis du braille et du vieillissement. En somme, tous ces éléments réunis peuvent influencer à la fois les décisions cliniques et les résultats d’apprentissage.Reading difficulties are the most common reasons for referral to vision rehabilitation. Though there is a strong historical basis for the provision of braille instruction among blind children, there is little evidence-based research on the needs of working-age and older adults. Aging is associated with declines in tactile, motor and cognitive capacities. Moreover, learning in adulthood is distinct from childhood learning, owing to differences in cortical plasticity and development. Little is known about how these variables may influence braille reading outcomes, but such knowledge is needed to inform the design of evidence-based strategies. For example, low-cost braille devices incorporate dots of greater height and density, but the extent to which such approaches may enhance reading performance for older adults with reduced tactile sensitivity remains unexplored. These questions are especially imperative as the prevalence of age-related vision loss continues to increase. A four-phase study was devised to synthesize prior evidence on the interrelationship between factors known to decline with age and braille reading performance; to investigate the barriers and facilitators encountered by working-age and older adults who pursue braille training; to identify variables that correlate with braille reading performance in adulthood; and to explore the influence of reading medium on the reading performance of adults with reduced tactile sensitivity. This thesis confirms that prior evidence on braille and aging remains scant, heightening the imperative for further research in this domain. Moreover, there are a variety of personal, social and institutional factors which shape the adult braille learning process, including perceived stigma towards braille and aging among some practitioners, inadequate services and access to braille devices. Braille learning age, frequency of usage, and measures of active tactile acuity emerged as significant correlates of braille reading speed. Preliminary evidence suggests that using braille displays with greater dot height enhances performance for those with reduced tactile sensitivity, while also enabling immediate access to relevant reading content. Collectively, these findings point to the need for rehabilitation practitioners to introduce braille as early as possible, evaluate objective measures of tactile acuity while also considering the role of functional touch, provide increased training in tactile perception, and consider a wider integration of braille devices. Findings also highlight the need for increased funding and services, eligibility criteria which takes into account the unique realities of older braille clients, and the need to further explore the role of stigma towards braille and aging which may influence both clinical decisions and learning outcomes