Position paper on occupational therapy aides gives wrong message.

We are wriring in response ro the October 1995 special issue on low vision of rhe American Journal 0/ Occupational Thempy to provide an expanded picture of rehabilirarion services for consumers who are blind or visually impaired and ro offer occuparional rherapists the opportunity for collaboration with vision rehabilitation specialists. Comrary to the image porrrayed in the special issue, persons with visual impairmems are neirher only rhose over rhe age of 65 nor those with low vision. Visual impairmems can be diagnosed ar birth and rhroughour life and span the spectrum of acuity and visual funcrion, which ranges from minimum distortion, such as nearsightedness, to toral blindness. Visual impairmenr is nor jusr the loss of one sense; ir affects rhe functioning of all remaining senses and one's ability ro learn rhrough trad.irional merhods. Low vision aids and devices musr be professionally prescribed and require specific training for consumers ro successfully use each device for each task. Vision rehabilirarion and educarion services in rhe Unired Srares began in rhe 1800s. University prepararlon programs rrain rehabilirarion teachers, oriemation and mobility specialisrs, low vision specialisrs, and special education reachers or reachers of children wirh visual impairmems. Rehabilirarion reachers use special rechniques and adaprarions (0 guide and insrrucr persons wirh severe visual impairmems ro permit independent daily life. They work wirh consumers in all serrings, and instrucrion is eirher wirh the individual person or wirh a small group, depending on individual evaluarion and reaching