Project Magnify: Increasing Reading Skills in Students With Low Vision
By Farmer, Jeanie; Morse, Stephen E.; Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, pp. 763-773Publication Date: December 2007
Study compared two approaches to increase reading skills in students with low vision: using large-print materials and magnification devices. Sixteen students enrolled in Individual Education Programs (IEPs) in South Carolina public schools participated in the study, with 7 students in the large-print group and 9 students in the magnifier group. Each student in the magnifier group had a clinical low-vision examination, and near-viewing optical devices were prescribed. The oral reading assessment portion of the Basic Reading Inventory (Johns, 2005) was administered to all participants at the beginning and end of the study, which encompassed a school year, and reading rates and comprehensive levels were recorded. Although both groups increased their reading speed over the year, test results showed the more pronounced improvement both in speed and reading comprehension among students in the magnifier group. Additional benefits of the project reported included high-quality optometric care, an increase in teachers’ skills, and a change in the teachers’ perception of the need for large print. The study concludes that students with low vision can effectively use magnifiers for reading.
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
