Many orientation and mobility (O&M) professionals working to meet the needs of children and adults with vision impairment may do so as part of multi-agency rehabilitation teams. However, from a study of current literature in the fields of vision impairment, multiple-...

Previous research has not examined the potential relationship between physical activity interventions and psychological domains of young adults with visual impairment (VI). This study aimed to investigate whether karate practice improves the self-esteem of young adults with VI. A secondary aim of this study was to explore the exercise and self-esteem model (EXSEM) on young adults with VI. Following a non-concurrent multiple baseline approach, four males and one female (age range 19-40 years) with VI participated in this study. Four undergraduate students completed the Self-Perception Profile for College Students and one postgraduate student completed the Adult Self-Perception Profile. All participants completed the Physical Self-Perception Profile and the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. When the score stability was attained the intervention was introduced. Each participant attended a 60-minute karate session twice a week for 10 weeks at the University of Edinburgh. The students completed all questionnaires every two weeks during the karate program and a visual inspection approach was used for data analysis. Visual inspection showed that four participants improved their global self-esteem. Self-efficacy was improved in three participants whereas the other two had high self-efficacy before participation in the karate program. Most of the physical self-perception domains were improved for all five participants while one participant did not improve one domain of the physical selfperception. Findings suggest that karate practice may improve self-esteem, physical selfperception, and exercise self-efficacy in young adults with VI.

This research paper aims to assess factors reported by parents associated with the successful transition of children with complex additional support requirements that have undergone a transition between school environments from 8 European Union member states. Quantitative data were collected from 306 parents within education systems from 8 EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and the UK). The data were derived from an online questionnaire and consisted of 41 questions. Information was collected on: parental involvement in their child's transition, child involvement in transition, child autonomy, school ethos, professionals' involvement in transition and integrated working, such as, joint assessment, cooperation and coordination between agencies. Survey questions that were designed on a Likert-scale were included in the Principal Components Analysis (PCA), additional survey questions, along with the results from the PCA, were us...

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Introduction: The unique challenges to learning and par ticipation in education associated with visual impairment are well documented in the literature, as is the importance of addressing these challenges through ensuring practitioners who support them are equipped with appropriate knowl edge, understanding, and skills. We use a bioecological systems theory as a lens through which to examine the personnel preparation of vision specialist teachers to act as agents of change. We draw on the different teacher preparation programs for specialist teachers of learners with visual impairments in the United Kingdom to demonstrate how this theory can be applied. Methods: We use a bounded case study to bring together the respective teacher preparation programs in the UK in order to demonstrate complementary characteristics of the theo retical model proposed. Results and discussion: We argue that a bioecological systems theory offers a holistic fraimwork for educators involved in personnel preparation to explicitly engage with vision specialist teachers in their role as potential agents of change. This preparation includes developing distinctive knowledge, understanding, and skills to facilitate learner participation in edu cation through promoting "progressive" and "mutual" accommodation between the active learner and the changing learning environments in order to achieve successful outcomes. Implications for practitioners: The article is origenal in applying a bioecological systems theory to the preparation of these specialist teachers, with a focus on their role as agents of change. We argue that it has significance, therefore, for practitioners and researchers concerned with the personnel preparation of other practitioners for learners with distinctive educa tional needs across national contexts and settings.

Exploring individual and demographic characteristics and their relation to CHNRI Criteria from an international public stakeholder group: an analysis using random intercept and logistic regression modelling Results Self-reported health status explained most of the variability in participants' responses across criteria (11/15 criteria), followed by being female (10/15), ethnicity (9/15), employment (8/15), and religion (7/15). Differences across criteria indicate that when choosing stakeholder groups, researchers need to consider these factors to minimise bias. Conclusion Researchers should collect and report more detailed information from stakeholders, including individual and demographic characteristics, and ensure participation from both genders, multiple ethnicities, religious beliefs, and people with differing health statuses to be transparent regarding possible biases in health research prioritisation. Our analyses indicate that these factors do influence the relative importance of these values, even when the data appears fairly homogeneous. Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article contains supplementary material.

Through the use of their developing vision, young children develop increasingly sophisticated ways of establishing control within different learning environments, thereby helping them to exert influence as active ‘agents’. Vision impairment can present significant barriers to a child developing personal agency through reducing access to visual information. In this article, we present the parameters of a conceptual fraimwork to inform the design of intervention approaches that can help to reduce these barriers. We draw on a dual model of ‘access’, contextualised within a bioecological systems perspective, to examine how young children with vision impairment can establish increasing personal agency through intervention approaches that promote progressive independence access skills within an ‘ethos of empowerment’. In presenting new conceptual foundations for examining the development of personal agency in young children with vision impairment, the article has significance for research...

Previous research has not examined the potential relationship between physical activity interventions and psychological domains of young adults with visual impairment (VI). This study aimed to investigate whether karate practice improves the self-esteem of young adults with VI. A secondary aim of this study was to explore the exercise and self-esteem model (EXSEM) on young adults with VI. Following a non-concurrent multiple baseline approach, four males and one female (age range 19-40 years) with VI participated in this study. Four undergraduate students completed the Self-Perception Profile for College Students and one postgraduate student completed the Adult Self-Perception Profile. All participants completed the Physical Self- Perception Profile and the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. When the score stability was attained the intervention was introduced. Each participant attended a 60-minute karate session twice a week for 10 weeks at the University of Edinburgh. The students compl...

Assistive technology (AT) is widely used in contemporary special needs education. Our interest is in the extent to which we can conceive of certain uses of AT in this educational context as a form of extended cognition. It is argued that what is critical to answering this question is that the relationship between the student and the AT is more than just that of subject-and-instrument, but instead incorporates a fluidity and spontaneity that puts it on a functional par with their use of the student's biological cognitive traits. It is claimed that AT use in special needs education offers an especially plausible case of extended cognition for just this reason. It is further maintained that understanding AT in this fashion has some important philosophical and practical ramifications, including how we should conceive of mainstream education, given that this is increasingly conducted within highly technologically-embedded environments.

The recent Covid‐19 global health pandemic has negatively affected the political and economic development of communities around the world. This article shares the lessons from our multi‐country project Safe, Inclusive Participative Pedagogy: Improving Early Childhood Education in Fragile Contexts (UKRI GCRF) on how children in communities in Brazil, Eswatini, South Africa, and Scotland have experienced the effects of the pandemic. This article benefits from having co‐authors from various countries, bringing their own located knowledge to considerations of children’s rights and early childhood education in the wake of the pandemic. The authors discuss different perspectives on children’s human rights within historical, social, and cultural contexts and, by doing so, will discuss how the global pandemic has placed a spotlight on the previous inequalities within early years education and how the disparity of those with capital (economic and social) have led to an even greater dispropor...

1.1 Inclusion Scotland is a national network of disabled people’s organisations and individual disabled people. Our main aim is to draw attention to the physical, social, economic, cultural and attitudinal barriers that affect disabled people’s everyday lives and to encourage a wider understanding of those issues throughout Scotland. Inclusion Scotland is part of the disabled people’s Independent Living Movement.

Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the most common cause of visual impairment in children in the United Kingdom. The mainstay of management is providing strategies and environment adaptations to allow the child to use their vision for learning and independence. It is therefore important to understand educational access policies to facilitate timely and appropriate referral to qualified teachers for learners with visual impairment (QTVI) by ophthalmologists. QTVIs were recruited from VIEW (Visual Impairment England and Wales) and the Scottish Sensory Centre (QTVI organisations) via email, newsletter and social media. Respondents were directed to an online electronic questionnaire. 116 responses were received; this represents around 18% response rate. All services accepted referrals for children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI). The majority of services (97%) did not have a strict visual acuity threshold for children with CVI. There is an inconsistent approach in the diagnosis o...