PurposeVisual impairments (VI) substantially impact work participation, with persistently low employment rates despite re-integration programs and supportive legislation. This study explored factors influencing work participation among persons with VI.MethodUsing concept mapping and purposive sampling, we gathered insights impacting work participation from patients with VI and professionals. These key stakeholders initially identified items (76 VI patients and 25 professionals), which were subsequently rated for importance and categorized into conceptually common themes (61 VI patients and 47 professionals).ResultsThe final concept map comprised 105 distinct vision-related items, grouped into 9 thematic clusters ranked by importance: personal competences and self-awareness; conditions for workplace adjustments; mobility/commuting and ICT; support and awareness working environment; organizations, regulations and expertise; personal development and social environment/network; professional support for work; physical workplace; task performance. Importance scores ranged from 3.6 to 4.3 on 5-point scale, indicating overall relevance. Differences emerged based on participant type, VI severity, and nationality.ConclusionsThis study provides a consensus-based framework identifying key factors essential for understanding work participation in individuals with VI. Findings highlight the need for multi-level strategies, addressing individual, organizational and societal factors, to enhance sustainable employment through improved interventions, validated assessment tools, policies, and workplace adaptations.

Children and adolescents with visual impairments (VIs) often face challenges in developing social-emotional skills (SESs) and rely on compensatory strategies. Assessing and teaching SESs are crucial; however, Swiss practitioners lack suitable tools. This study used the French version of the Social Skills Improvement System Social-Emotional Learning Edition Rating Forms (SSIS-SEL RFs) to collect data on perceptions of SESs from students (self-assessment), parents, and teachers in a sample of 43 children and adolescents with VI. Although comparisons with normative sample data showed no significant differences at the group level, individual analysis revealed a wide range of profiles, with a substantial proportion of children scoring well below or well above the average. According to parent-reported scores, students with mild VI had significantly higher SESs than those with moderate VI to blindness, particularly in the domains of social awareness and relationship skills. In addition, higher SES scores were reported for older participants, girls, and those involved in inclusion-based activities. These results highlight the importance of detailed evaluation across different domains of SESs to guide individualized teaching and suggest the use of the SSIS-SEL RFs as part of a comprehensive assessment approach.

This article extends our 2023 ASSETS paper, “A Large-Scale Mixed-Methods Analysis of Blind and Low-vision Research in ACM and IEEE,” which provided a field-, technology-, and method-agnostic examination of blind and low-vision (BLV) research. Our mixed-methods approach combined quantitative bibliometric analyses with a qualitative analysis of the field, resulting in four high-level research areas. Building on this analysis, we further explore these areas by identifying and characterizing research themes and examining how the notion of interaction has been used in BLV research through an analysis of co-located terms. Our results highlight the rich diversity, overlap, and complementarity among these themes while highlighting potential areas for interdisciplinary collaboration. Moreover, our investigation into the terms co-located with interaction reveals a predominant focus on the modalities, technologies, and actions involved in interaction, rather than on the qualities of interaction. Our paper extends our previous findings by providing: (1) a finer-grained delineation within and between research areas; (2) a better understanding of the notion of interaction within BLV research; (3) an analysis of the research methods used when developing interactive computing systems for BLV users; and (4) a comparative analysis of prior systematic literature reviews of BLV research and possibilities for future survey contributions in our field.

Social-emotional skills (SESs) are typically acquired through observation and imitation, processes heavily reliant on the visual system. Children and adolescents with visual impairments (VI) may face challenges in developing these skills and may adopt compensatory strategies to overcome these difficulties. General curricula for students with VI, such as the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) and the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI), consider these skills a specific learning area, while the scientific literature recommends SESs assessment and explicit teaching. However, it seems that a specific curriculum for social-emotional learning (SEL) tailored to students with VI may not yet exist. Thus, the Visual Impairment – Social Emotional Learning (VI-SEL) curriculum was developed to fill this gap. This study, conducted in Switzerland, evaluates its content validity using a two-round Delphi study with a group of experts in the field of VI ( N = 15). Consensus was evaluated using a 14-item questionnaire, with experts providing feedback to refine the curriculum. Across both rounds, expert ratings exceeded the consensus threshold, with mean scores of 4.58 ( SD = 0.78) in the first round and 4.70 ( SD = 0.54) in the second. Qualitative feedback led to further refinements. Experts rated the VI-SEL curriculum content favourably, which suggested it fills an existing gap in practitioner resources with the potential to be integrated into general curricula for students with VI (e.g., the ECC and CFVI). While the findings should be interpreted cautiously, the VI-SEL curriculum may be a valuable tool for practitioners supporting SESs development in children and adolescents with VI. Further research is needed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the curriculum.

Mixed reality, particularly virtual reality (VR), has shown potential for low-vision (LV) training by providing safe environments to practice orientation and mobility skills. However, VR offers limited support for natural co-located interaction with low-vision therapists (LVTs), and its application to training activities of daily living (ADLs) remains underexplored. This paper investigates the potential of co-located shared augmented reality (S-AR) to support LVTguided LV training through spatialized, interactive tasks. Using a custom AR platform developed for the Microsoft HoloLens 2, we collaborated with two LVTs to iteratively design tasks inspired by their existing training practices. Following two feasibility studies with two LV participants, we conducted an exploratory evaluation with eight additional LV participants to gather preliminary insights into accessibility, usability, and engagement. While participants generally found the tasks enjoyable and engaging, their feedback highlighted the need for adaptable designs to accommodate diverse visual needs. The LVTs valued the platform's potential for real-time observation and saw promise in its use as a motivating, customizable complement to existing training methods.

Low-vision (LV) individuals often face challenges with visual search and object recognition due to partial loss of visual function. While rehabilitation centers help clients develop compensatory strategies using residual vision, interpreting clients' visual behavior, especially in spatially rich contexts or when using head movements for eccentric viewing, can be difficult. This paper explores the use of co-located shared augmented reality (S-AR) with projected gaze cues (eye gaze, head gaze, eye trace, and field of view) to support LV therapist (LVT)-guided training. Built on the Microsoft HoloLens 2, our system projects these cues in real-time within an S-AR environment. Grounded in a field observation and discussions with two certified LVTs, we designed an AR-based visual search task inspired by current rehabilitation practices. Through an exploratory study with nine LV clients and LVTs, we assessed the potential of gaze projections to support guided training in the future. Our findings highlight the system's potential to enhance LVTs' understanding of client strategies, engage clients in training tasks, and facilitate more personalized guidance, while pointing out areas for further refinement in cue interpretability and system adaptability.

Schüler:innen mit Sehbeeinträchtigung kann der Erwerb sozio-emotionaler Kompetenzen Schwierigkeiten bereiten. Allerdings gibt es kaum Informationen darüber, wie sozio-emotionale Kompetenzen beurteilt und vermittelt werden sollen. In 23 leitfadengestützten (halbstrukturierten) Interviews mit Lehrpersonen, die Schüler:innen mit Sehbeeinträchtigung unterrichten, erfuhren wir Näheres zu ihren persönlichen Vorstellungen, ihren Beurteilungs- und Vermittlungsmethoden sowie zum bestehenden Ausbildungsangebot im Bereich sozio-emotionaler Kompetenzen. Aus den Ergebnissen der Studie geht hervor, dass sich die Befragten Lektionen wünschen, die ganz den sozio-emotionalen Kompetenzen gewidmet sind. Sie möchten auch mehr über geeignete Beurteilungs- und Unterrichtsmaterialien erfahren und befürworten einen stärkeren Fokus auf sozio-emotionale Kompetenzen in den Ausbildungsgängen zum Thema Sehbeeinträchtigung.

Les élèves avec déficience visuelle (DV) peuvent rencontrer des difficultés à apprendre les compétences socio-émotionnelles (CSE). Le Plan d’études romand (PER) préconise un enseignement transversal de ces compétences, mais peu d’informations existent sur la manière dont elles devraient être évaluées et enseignées. Vingt-trois entretiens semi-directifs menés avec des enseignantes et enseignants intervenant auprès d’élèves avec DV ont permis d’explorer les représentations, l’évaluation, l’enseignement et les formations concernant les CSE. Les résultats montrent un souhait des participantes et participants d’avoir des périodes scolaires dédiées aux CSE, de connaitre des outils d’évaluation et d’enseignement adaptés, ainsi que de voir une place plus importante donnée aux CSE au niveau des formations en DV.

We report the clinical case of AB, a right-handed 19-year-old woman who presents severe developmental topographical disorientation, a relatively rare syndrome, leading to difficulties in navigating in familiar (and novel) environments. This symptomatology appears without acquired cerebral damage (MRI described as normal) nor more global cognitive disability (high degree of education achieved). An extensive assessment of spatial cognition with different aspects of underlying cognitive processes is first presented. Second, the patient's preserved cognitive abilities and her major difficulties in calculation, as well as her attention deficit, as seen in a detailed neuropsychological assessment, are reported. For the first time to our knowledge, we show that developmental topographical disorientation can be associated with other developmental cognitive disorders affecting number processing (dyscalculia) and attention (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)). We discuss the links between these different cognitive processes in relation to visuo-spatial working memory and magnitude representation, which could represent common denominators for all these syndromes. This case report highlights the importance of thoroughly assessing potentially associated neurocognitive disorders in developmental topographical disorientation. In addition, it highlights the necessity to keep in mind the prevalence of spatial difficulties in the assessment of children and adolescents with other neurodevelopmental syndromes. Finally, this case study raises a new question about the nosology of developmental disorders affecting the visuo-spatial and spatial domains.

Cognitive testing is an important method of assessing brain function, in neurological disease. However, indigenous populations with cultural and educational specificities need adapted cognitive assessment tools. This project in the Baka and Mbororo ethnic groups, evaluated the feasibility of using selected cognitive tests from a normalized battery, compared their cognitive performance to urban counterparts and verified the effects of age, gender and education on cognitive performance.

Recent advances in the field of assistive devices technology represent a great opportunity for improving the quality of life of people with moderate to severe visual impairment. However, it is still unclear what are the precise daily difficulties, needs and expectations of the smart glasses technology for visually impaired individuals. To this aim, we conducted a survey based on three questionnaires to provide qualitative and quantitative insights on those questions across five groups suffering from various visual pathologies (N = 50). The results clearly showed the importance of developing tailored solutions to fulfill the heterogeneous daily difficulties and needs identified across pathologies. Overall, groups shared similar expectations regarding the assistive smart glasses functionalities in order to improve social interactions.

Severe malaria is a contributor to neurocognitive impairment and epilepsy in children living in sub-Saharan Africa but there is no published data on this subject in Cameroon. We thus sought to understand the possible neurological long term effects of severe malaria in school-aged children in Yaoundé.

Background: Epilepsy affects at least 50 million individuals worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Cognitive impairment is common in people with epilepsy (PWE) yet, little is known on the burden of cognitive impairment in people with epilepsy in sSA. This study was thus designed to assess cognitive impairment in PWE or epilepsy-associated neurocognitive disorders (EAND) in a rural population in Cameroon. Methods: This was a case-control study including PWE and age/sex-matched healthy controls from July to September 2017 in Bilomo, a village in the Mbam and Kim Division. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), Dubois' Five Word testing. Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Isaac's Set Test and the Clock drawing test were administered to the study participants to evaluate global and specific cognitive functions. Results: Eighty participants were included (40 cases and 40 controls) with a mean age of 25.78 years. Using the MoCA, 87.5% of cases had cognitive impairment, against 37.5% of controls (p < 0.001; OR 11.67; CI 3.40-45.09). Using the IHDS, the prevalence of global cognitive impairment was 84.6% among the cases against 40% for the controls (p = <0.001; OR 7.07; CI 2.29-29.19). Specifically, executive function deficits (92.5% of cases vs 40.0% of controls p = <0.001 OR- 18.50 CI; 4.48-105.08) and decreased verbal fluency (100% of cases against 45% of controls p <0.001) were the most affected cognitive domains. Longer duration of epilepsy and higher seizure frequency were associated with global cognitive impairment. Low level of education was associated with both decreased verbal fluency and executive dysfunction while a longer stay in Bilomo correlated with poor results on the Isaac's Set Test. Conclusion: The prevalence of cognitive impairment appears to be much higher in PWE in the Mbam valley, particularly decreased executive function and verbal fluency, than in people without epilepsy. Longer disease duration, higher seizure frequency, low level of education and length of stay in Bilomo are associated with poorer cognitive performance. More studies are needed to refine evaluation tools to better characterize and manage EAND in sSA. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This article presents an explorative study with a smart glasses application developed to help visually impaired individuals to identify faces and facial expressions of emotion. The paper discusses three experiments in which different patients, suffering from distinct pathologies impairing vision, tested our application. These preliminary studies demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of visual prostheses for face and emotion identification, and offer novel and interesting directions for future wearable see-through devices.

The objective of this case study was to describe the neuropsychological rehabilitation of a 16-year-old patient who presented a Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome (CCAS) following a bilateral cerebellar hemorrhage. The patient presented severe and diffuse cognitive deficits, massive behavioral disorders, and emotion regulation difficulties. The cognitive rehabilitation was performed in the chronic phase (one year after the onset of the hemorrhage) using a transdisciplinary neurobehavioral approach based on the patient's favorite interest (soccer). A significant behavioral and cognitive improvement was observed. The patient became progressively independent in all activities of daily living and was discharged home. The Functional Independence Measure at discharge was 124/126 (vs. 37/126 at entry). The patient was able to complete his schooling despite the mild cognitive and behavioral sequelae. This first description of the use of neurobehavioral therapy in a case of chronic CCAS suggests that (a) major clinical improvement can occur more than one year after the onset of the CCAS, showing the importance of long-term and intensive neurorehabilitation; and (b) when the cerebellum cannot properly play its regulator role in cognition, neuropsychological intervention through a behavioral and cognitive approach can be of great help by acting as an external modulator to help the patient regain control over himself.

From birth, the human visual system shows a remarkable sensitivity for perceiving biological motion. This visual ability relies on a distributed network of brain regions and can be preserved even after damage of high-level ventral visual areas. However, it remains unknown whether this critical biological skill can withstand the loss of vision following bilateral striate damage. To address this question, we tested the categorization of human and animal biological motion in BC, a rare case of cortical blindness after anoxia-induced bilateral striate damage. The severity of his impairment, encompassing various aspects of vision (i.e., color, shape, face, and object recognition) and causing blind-like behavior, contrasts with a residual ability to process motion. We presented BC with static or dynamic point-light displays (PLDs) of human or animal walkers. These stimuli were presented either individually, or in pairs in two alternative forced choice (2AFC) tasks. When confronted with individual PLDs, the patient was unable to categorize the stimuli, irrespective of whether they were static or dynamic. In the 2AFC task, BC exhibited appropriate eye movements towards diagnostic information, but performed at chance level with static PLDs, in stark contrast to his ability to efficiently categorize dynamic biological agents. This striking ability to categorize biological motion provided top-down information is important for at least two reasons. Firstly, it emphasizes the importance of assessing patients' (visual) abilities across a range of task constraints, which can reveal potential residual abilities that may in turn represent a key feature for patient rehabilitation. Finally, our findings reinforce the view that the neural network processing biological motion can efficiently operate despite severely impaired low-level vision, positing our natural predisposition for processing dynamicity in biological agents as a robust feature of human vision.

Background: Some of the major complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) occur in the brain and apart from overt stroke, patients also present with cognitive impairments. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of cognitive deficits as well as their biological predicting factors in young SCD patients in Cameroon. Methods: The cognitive performances of Cameroonian SCD young patients were evaluated using a neuropsychological test battery assessing four domains of cognitive functioning (executive functions, attention, memory, and sensory-motor skills) previously adapted and normalized on healthy subjects in Yaoundé. Findings: Up to 37.5% of the 96 SCD patients aged 6 to 24 years (M = 13.5, SD = 4.9) had mild-to-severe cognitive deficits. The cognitive deficits tend to increase with age. There was a significant effect of SCD on executive functions and attention, whereas SCD patients performed as well as controls on memory and sensory-motor skills tests. Structural equation models showed a significant association between (a) severe anemia and lower executive functioning, (b) low fetal hemoglobin levels and lower executive functioning and attention, (c) history of cerebrovascular accidents and lower performances in executive functioning, sensory-motor skills, and memory, (d) pathological electroencephalogram and lower attention, and (e) abnormal Transcranial Doppler and lower memory. Conclusion: SCD patients in Cameroon presented a very high prevalence of cognitive deficits, with a specific impairment of executive functions and attention. Routine neuropsychological evaluation for early detection of cognitive deficits in SCD patients could represent a cost-effective tool to implement in resource-limited contexts such as in sub-Saharan Africa.