SPECIALIZED REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR BLIND AND
VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS
A POSITION STATEMENT
The Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws enacted in
recent years in the United States and Canada represent enlightened
disability policy. However, the noticeable trend to define
"disability" as an overarching generic condition for purposes of
program design, administration, and funding is pernicious in its
effect upon rehabilitation services for children and adults who are
blind or visually impaired.
It is the common experience of the agencies and organizations that
have joined in this statement that specialize, comprehensive
rehabilitation services and essential changes in social attitudes
about blindness do not occur when rehabilitation services for the
blind are provided through as single program which serves both
blind and disabled persons. This is so in large part because the
characteristics and distinctive needs of the blind become lost amid
much larger issues and populations and because specialized services
are overshadowed by diverse, unrelated goals.
The accomplishment of individualized rehabilitation goals can be
achieved in an efficient, consumer-responsive manner when blind
people have access to an agency dedicated to providing blindness-
specific services. Such an agency must be administratively
identifiable and have qualified personnel especially trained to
serve the blind. Accountability for program results is
strengthened by this organizational structure and staffing since
accomplishment of specific objectives for a defined target
population of manageable size can readily be measured. When
program results fail to merit support, blind consumers and their
advocates or the professionals who serve them can make focused
efforts to insist upon improvements.
Promoting more enlightened social attitudes about blindness is an
indispensable goal of specialized services for the blind. To
achieve this unique goal competent personnel, including blind
persons serving as role models in both staff and volunteer
capacities, must be assigned to teach blindness-related alternative
techniques. Blind individuals require comprehensive and often
complex rehabilitation services in area such as adjustment
training, independent mobility, Braille, and the use of assistive
technology to meet their particular information needs resulting
from vision loss. Most importantly, they must develop confidence,
which is a prerequisite to effective use of these skills in daily
life.
Laws pertaining to "people with disabilities"as a class may
appropriately be general if the purpose is to prohibit
discrimination or to identify individual rights. However,
rehabilitation programs and the laws which authorize them have a
far more precise mission. When services for the blind are
submerged into broad disability programs precision is sacrificed
for generality, and comprehensive, consumer-responsive services for
blind individuals are lost.
This position statement has been unanimously adopted by national
agencies and organizations in the United States and Canada which
represent those who provide services for persons who are blind or
visually impaired and those who are the elected representatives of
the blind. We are firmly committed to the provision of specialized
rehabilitation services for blind persons by identifiable agencies
especially established to serve them. We urge program
administrators, lawmakers, and other public officials to follow the
principles expressed in this statement.
American Council of the Blind
American Foundation for the Blind
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Visually Impaired
Blinded Veterans Association
Canadian Council of the Blind
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
National Federation of the Blind
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped