New Publications
Arter, Christine and others (1999). Children with Visual Impairment in Mainstream Settings. London: David Fulton.
This book, written by the very experienced team of the department ’visual impairment’ of the school of Education of the Birmingham University seeks to inform teachers in mainstream schools and colleges who are new in teaching children and young people with visual impairment, how to successful inclusion maybe achieved.
Dixon, Judith M. /Ed./ (2001). Braille: Into the Next Millennium. Washington, D.C: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
An excellent anthology of articles by more than two dozen international experts and advocates in the field of Braille, including library services. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, ”Braille in the Past”, Part 2, ”Braille in the Present” and Part 3, ”Braille in the Future”. It is Free.
Fellenius, Kerstin (1999). Reading Acquisition in Pupils with Visual Impairment in Mainstream Education. Stockholm: Stockholm Institute of Education Press.
This doctoral thesis gives an overview as well as a close-up of the reading situation for pupils with visual impairment in the regular school system.
Kef, Sabina (1999). Personal Networks and Psychosocial Characteristics of Visually Impaired Adolescents. Amsterdam: (Available from the author, Wibautstraat 4, 1091 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands).
Doctoral thesis. A report on a study into 354 visually impaired adolescents aged 14 to 24, 19% of whom are blind, 18% severely visually impaired and 63% moderately visually impaired.
Leonhardt, Merce (1999). Iniciacon del Lenguaje en Nigos Ciegos. Madrid: ONCE.
This book is about linguistic development in the first two years of life of blind children.
Silverstone, Barbara (Ed./ (2000). The Lighthouse Handbook on Vision Impairment and Vision Rehabilitation. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press.
This two-volume set is a ”must” for any agency, organization or school working in the field of low vision and low vision rehabilitation.
Swenson, Anna A (1999). Beginning with Braille – Firsthand Experiences with a Balanced Approach to Literacy. New York: American Foundation for the Blind Press.
This book is intended to provide teachers of Braille with a variety of practical guidelines and activities for promoting literacy. It is a good resource for those who teach Braille with good references and ideas to integrate literacy teaching with both blind and sighted children.
Laura Bridgman (1829-1889). Laura Bridgman has mainly be known for the past hundred years in brief mentions in books and plays related to Helen Keller, the most notable of all deaf-blind people. Yet within this year more than two major works have been published about Laura. The remarkable thing is that not only have been published at nearly the same time but that both have different views about her education and the person who was her “saviour”, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe. Dr. Howe (1801-1876) became famous not through being the first director of the first school for the blind in the United States of America (Perkins School for the Blind) but because of his work in educating Laura Bridgman. To get a true, if not complete, picture of Laura education it is well to read both books. In addition I would recommend reading Chapter 3: “The Development of Education for Deaf-Blind People”, in Regi Enerstvedt’s book Legacy of the Past, Forlaget Nord-Press, Dronninglund, Denmark, 1996.
Freeberg, Ernest (2001). The Education of Laura Bridgman: First Deaf and Blind Person to Learn Language. Harvard University Press.
Gitter, Elisabeth (2001). The Impresioned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, the Original Deaf-Blind Girl. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Information about new publications should be sent to:
ken.stuckey@telia.com