Exploring the dualism of vision – visual function and functional vision

Susan Silveira

Abstract Professionals working in the field of vision impairment face high expectations from the people they support. To meet this expectation, it is critical that professionals have a broad and in-depth knowledge of vision. This paper presents an overview of the two key entities that underpin an understanding of vision – visual function and functional vision. The contemporary professional literature is reviewed to present an examination of vision as a primary and essential sense, to develop an (..)

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-001

Abstracts of the 2018 International Guide Dogs Federation (IGDF) Seminar

The International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) is comprised of over 90 member organizations, whose purpose is to serve people who are blind or vision impaired around the world, by training and providing Guide Dogs. Member organizations have been accredited against agreed international standards and are re-assessed every five years. The IGDF facilitates a sharing of knowledge, experience, highest quality standards, methodologies, and help for new or existing schools wanting to improve the quality (..)

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-002

The influence of fixation stability on balance in central vision loss

Caitlin Murphy/ Michael Kapusta/ Olga Overbury

Abstract Background: Some major visual disorders damage the central retina and to compensate for the loss of a functioning fovea, those affected use their remaining peripheral retina to accomplish daily tasks. This results in the formation of an unstable, non-central fixation point, which compromises ability to detect obstacles and acquire visual information from the environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a measurable (and significant) difference in balance ability a(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-003

Abstracts of the 2018 Dutch Mobility Conference

Marcus Boerdijk

The Dutch Mobility Conference was held in Zeist, The Netherlands on the November 30, 2018 and attended by over 250 Dutch-speaking O&M instructors. Organized by Koninklijke Visio, Bartimeus and De Robert Coppes Stichting, the aim of the conference was to share knowledge, new points of view and to socialize. The following abstracts were presented as presentations and workshops at the conference.

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-004

The Development of an Application that supports Body Awareness for Children with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities

Vicki Depountis/ Phoebe Okungu/ Della Molloy-Daugherty

Abstract The manuscript reports a case study of a design-based research effort to create an app that promotes body awareness among students with visual impairments (VIs) and additional disabilities. Since 2012, a multidisciplinary team has been developing and testing an app called “Body Awareness through Movement and Music,” designed to help children with VIs and additional disabilities improve their body awareness. The app is embedded with features grounded in structured movement routine (SMR) (..)

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-005

Abstracts of the 2018 Southeastern Orientation and Mobility Association (SOMA) Conference

The Southeastern Orientation and Mobility Association (SOMA) started more than 50 years ago with informal gatherings of O&Ms, and has grown to annual/ biannual conferences hosting hundreds of O&Ms. Until 2016, when SOMA was incorporated and a board was established, SOMA conferences were organized entirely by individuals who volunteered at the final session of the previous conference. SOMA’s unique traditions include: an emphasis on hands-on workshops (SOMA conferences were the first to feature f(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-006

What's in a word? Distinguishing between Habilitation and Re-habilitation

J. Hayton/ D. Dimitriou

Abstract The purpose of this commentary is to identify the key differences between the term Habilitation and Rehabilitation. Using historical and contemporary understandings, this commentary aims to disentangle these two terms from a developmental perspective. It is argued that these two concepts are distinct and should be appropriately reflected in international literature and practice.

DOI: 10.21307/ijom-2019-007