The study presented here examined the videotaped search patterns and strategies that 65 persons with visual impairments used to locate and learn the arrangement of five objects in a novel space. Videotapes of the 15 best-performing and 15 worst-performing participants’ explorations were then compared to the participants’ verbal self-reports of the strategies they used. The best-performing participants used search patterns and strategies that were effective in locating objects quickly and that facilitated the development of object-to-object relationships.

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This article discusses the problems associated with providing appropriate high-quality orientation and mobility (O&M) services to older persons with visual impairments, including problems in attitudes, characteristics, financial considerations, in-service training, and the availability of age-appropriate assessment instruments. It also reviews research on interventions related to O&M and considerations in developing O&M strategies for older persons.

The purpose of the study reported here was to teach a preschool child with a visual impairment and significant developmental delay to reach out and locate objects systematically and accurately from a sitting position and to locate and move toward given objects in the environment using the Infant Sonicguide. Although the child achieved the first goal, time constraints prevented him from reaching the second goal.

The purpose of the investigation described in this article was to revise Hill's test for assessing the development of spatial concepts among visually impaired children, “Concepts Involved in Body Position and Space,” establish the test's validity and reliability, and collect normative data. Orientation and mobility specialists administered the revised instrument to 273 visually impaired children ages 6 through 10 from 48 different educational programs in 23 states. Normative data were then collected in the form of percentiles by age; percentage passing each item by age and by reading modes; and indexes for the difficulty and discriminatory power of each item as well as the proportion of correct answers. According to the results, the revised instrument is valid and reliable enough to use with visually impaired children in the age groups studied.