Identification of Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in Sri Lanka

Abstract

A study using three techniques to identify blind and visually impaired people was conducted by Helen Keller International in Sri Lanka during February and March of 1987. These techniques are compared to the validating supervisor identification of people who are blind or have low vision. The alternative identification methods evaluated were: 1) utilizing key informants from the surveyed communities; 2) utilizing students from local schools; and 3) conducting a house-to-house survey in study villages. The ability to correctly determine those truly blind or with low vision and the comparative cost of each method were also evaluated.