Using literature reviews, personal interviews, and personal knowledge, the authors review the development of services for older persons who are blind or visually impaired in the United States during the 20th century. The article is part of the efforts of AFB's National Agenda on Vision and Aging to document history of the field of vision and aging and to move the field forward in the 21st century.
This article discusses the challenging process of developing a common data set for independent living programs serving older adults who are visually impaired. The three-year project, which included collaborative efforts among many stakeholders that encompass diverse program models, resulted in the development of the Internet-based Nationally Standardized Minimum Dataset.
American Indians experience diabetes and diabetic retinopathy at a rate considerably higher than the overall U.S. population, and the number and lifespan of American Indian elders is steadily increasing. These demographics, combined with the underrepresentation of American Indians in the rehabilitation system, document the need for an innovative service delivery model for training American Indian elders, both on and off reservations, in independent living skills. This article describes a federally funded rehabilitation project developed and implemented by the American Foundation for the Blind to teach American Indian health care workers about aging and vision loss and independent living skills.
This article explores the issues of allied health professionals who provide vision rehabilitation services to individuals who are visually impaired. It also raises questions about whether allied health professionals have had the opportunity to acquire sufficient training to work with visually impaired people, identifies the challenges facing the vision rehabilitation field, and explores how allied health professionals and vision rehabilitation professionals can work together to mutually benefit consumers who are visually impaired.
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