Early home literacy experiences, including parent-child book reading, account for a significant amount of childrens' later reading achievement. Yet, there is a very limited research base about the home literacy environments and experiences of children with cognitive disabilities. The purpose of this study is to describe findings from a web-based survey of home literacy environments of young children with Down syndrome. Respondents (n = 107) were mostly mothers; a majority were well-educated. Findings suggest that respondents gave literacy a higher priority than reported in prior research on children with disabilities. Over 70% of respondents had 50 or more childrens' books and also had literacy materials including flashcards, magnetic letters, and educational videos or computer games. Most parents read to their children and used these literacy materials 10–30 minutes per day. Respondents reported that their children had reached many important early literacy milestones and they also described having relatively ambitious life-long literacy goals for their children. Important implications for research and practice are discussed.

This article describes the results of a qualitative study on researchers’ observations of teachers of students with visual impairments and how the teachers spend their time in the classroom. The researchers report on the types of training and services being provided to students, including instruction in areas of the expanded core curriculum, also known as disability-specific skills training.

Introduction: Paralympic classification should provide athletes with an equitable starting point for competition by minimizing the impact their impairment has on the outcome of the event. As swimming is an event conducted in water, the ability to overcome drag (active and passive) is an important performance determinant. It is plausible that the ability to do this is affected by the type and severity of the physical impairment, but the current World Para Swimming classification system does not objectively account for this component. The aim of this study was to quantify active and passive drag in Para swimmers and evaluate the strength of association between these measures and type of physical impairment, swimming performance, and sport class. Methods: Seventy-two highly trained Para swimmers from sport classes S1 to S10 and 14 highly trained nondisabled swimmers were towed by a motorized winch while the towing force was recorded. Passive drag was measured with the arms held by the side; active drag was determined during freestyle swimming using an assisted towing method. Results: Active and passive drag were higher in Para swimmers with central motor and neuromuscular impairments than for nondisabled swimmers and were associated with severity of swim-specific impairment (sport class) and maximal freestyle performance in these swimmers (r = −0.40 to −0.50, P ≤ 0.02). Para swimmers with anthropometric impairments showed similar active and passive drag to nondisabled swimmers, and between swimmers from different sport classes. Conclusions: Para swimmers with central motor and neuromuscular impairments are predisposed to high active drag during freestyle swimming that impacts on their performance. It is recommended that drag measures be considered in revised classification for these swimmers, but not for those with anthropometric impairments.

General educators (n ϭ 79) answered a questionnaire regarding the engagement of students with visual impairments who were enrolled in their classes. These students were identified as being only moderately engaged. No difference in the perceived engagement of students who read print and students who read braille was demonstrated.

Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) commonly occurs in older adults with visual impairments, particularly those with age-related macular degeneration. It is characterized by complex visual hallucinations in individuals without mental disorders. The authors explore diagnostic criteria, demographic characteristics, clinical features, theories of pathogenesis, and management options for people who are diagnosed with CBS.