Reading Environment at Home and at School of Swedish Students with Visual Impairments

Abstract

This study of the reading performance of 9-year-old sighted and visually impaired readers in Sweden revealed that the two groups of students were in a more equivalent environment in school than at home. The greatest differences between the two groups were found in their statements about their interactions with family members at home, particularly for readers with specific reading media, such as braille and closed-circuit televisions. In addition, readers with severe low vision had less knowledge about letters and words when they started school and were an at-risk group among young readers with visual impairments.