Abstract
After defining blindness and visual impairment, and noting that either may be present congenitally or occur later in life (adventitious), the authors identify three interdependent levels which descriptions of blind and visually impaired persons should include—the physiological, the personal, and the social. Needs shared by all such individuals include assistance in mobility, communication, information collection, physical expression, and psychological functioning. This is followed by detailed discussions of the needs of congenitally blind, adventitiously blind, congenitally visually impaired, and adventitiously visually impaired persons on each of the three levels of analysis at various ages throughout life or at various periods following the onset of the handicap.
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