VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 3
Methods
Participants
The University of South Dakota institutional review board approved this
study and the researchers obtained informed consent from all participants. The
study took place in the upper plains region of the United States. Thirteen students
who received special education services related to VI at public schools or at
schools for the blind and visually impaired (BVI) were recruited through referral
sampling. The researchers utilized direct communication with professional contacts
to seek children who met the inclusionary criteria of being school age (five through
18 years old). Students with severe intellectual disabilities, syndromic conditions,
or autism were excluded because these children exhibit cognitive-linguistic deficits
that uniquely impact speech development differently than neurotypical children
(Shriberg et al., 1997). Eleven participants were Caucasian, one was Hispanic or
Latino, and one was African American. Four were females and nine were males.
Eight had low vision, three were legally blind, and two were totally blind. The
participant demographics are presented in Table 1.
