Introduction: Social skills are acquired primarily through imitation using the visual system. As a result, people with visual impairments may experience difficulties in this area at any age, which can have a major effect on their social participation and on their quality of life. The objective of this study was to systematically review the effects of targeted interventions on social skills in children and adolescents with visual impairments. Methods : A systematic literature search was performed using databases Web of Science, OvidSP, EBSCOhost, Sage Journals. The scientific quality of the studies was assessed using two scales dedicated to single case studies and group studies, respectively. Results : Out of 1866 hits, 32 studies were included in the review. A total of 397 children and adolescents with visual impairments (aged 3–20 years) received different types of social skills interventions. “Peer relation” interventions were most often studied ( n = 21) and effects were mainly analyzed using observational tools. The scientific quality rating scales indicated moderate (for group studies) to high general quality (for single case studies). Overall, most studies reported improvements in targeted social skills. Discussion : Given the heterogeneity of the studies considered, both in content and in the measures used to document effects, these results should be interpreted with caution. Consequently, it is not clear which interventions should be recommended for use in practice such as in special education. Implications for Practitioners : Given the high rate of social skills difficulties reported in this population and the effect of these difficulties on all stages of development, it seems particularly relevant for practitioners to integrate social skills assessment and explicit teaching into intervention programs. In the future, researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners should work together to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents with visual impairments.

Camp Abilities (CA) is an educational summer camp for children and youth with visual impairment (VI), developed in 1996 by Dr Lauren Lieberman at The State University of New York at Brockport and implemented internationally. The uniqueness of the program is that it provides opportunities for sports exposure and motor development, teaching physical education (PE) and adapted physical education (APE) for undergraduate and graduate students and research. CA has contributed to numerous publications but, to date, no systematic review has been published. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of quantitative studies conducted in CA, to document the themes investigated, to analyze the characteristics of the studies and the effects of interventions delivered, and to synthesize the results. This process identified 24 articles that examined 11 research themes. It identified several key findings, research gaps to guide future research, as well as practical implications for practitioners.

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.

Introduction: Adaptive behavior, defined as a critical set of skills learned and performed throughout daily life to cope with society’s age-appropriate expectations, is a central concept for people with disabilities in both clinical and research contexts. As AB is an essential component of daily functioning, assessment is necessary both for the diagnostic process and for intervention, as it enables scores to be compared with the developmental norm, identifies strengths and weaknesses of the persons and monitors the progress of interventions. AB assessment is common in children with developmental delays but less common in children with visual impairment (VI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the AB of young children with VI through a pilot study and descriptive data. Methods: The participants were recruited through an early childhood special needs education service specialized in VI in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Overall, 10 families gave their consent for their child to be assessed using the Vineland Adaptative Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II) completed by their early childhood educator. Results: Globally, the results showed that participants were rated between the Adapted to Moderately High levels. The highest domains were in the areas of communication, daily living skills and socialization. Discussion: The results showed a trend that is superior to previous studies assessing the AB of a similar population. As a result, one obvious perspective would be to adapt the scale to ensure that the items assessed are more consistent with the specificities of their development and the intervention priorities, enabling them to achieve adaptive behavior and independence in carrying out activities of daily living.

Camp Abilities (CA) is an educational camp for children and youth with visual impairment (VI). Since its inauguration in 1996, CA has expanded nationally and internationally with three central objectives: (1) to offer a specific summer camp for youth with VI, exposing them to different sports through adapted teaching and modified equipment; (2) to enable young teachers to gain experience in teaching adapted physical activity; and (3) to conduct research on a geographically dispersed population. A first systematic review was carried out to summarize 24 quantitative studies conducted on CA. This second review aimed to identify and summarize qualitative studies conducted at CA ( n = 16 articles). Using thematic analysis, a qualitative synthesis was conducted to identify themes and main findings. Narrative conclusions were extracted from the studies to present the perspectives and lived experiences through the voice of the participants involved, namely, the athletes with visual impairment (AVI), the stakeholders (directors, coaches), and the parents of the athletes with VI. Findings indicated that AVI have reported meaningful experiences enabling them to connect with peers with VI, have experimented with a wide range of sports, outdoor activities, and self-determination opportunities through adapted teaching. The directors reported that CA had enabled them to develop a community service combining teaching and research on adapted physical activity and VI. Finally, parents reported that CA had helped their child overcome barriers to physical activity.

En Suisse, l’intégration scolaire est encadrée par la Loi sur l’égalité pour les handicaps et le Concordat sur la pédagogie spécialisée qui promeuvent l’inclusion des élèves avec divers besoins éducatifs particuliers. Bien que ce cadre légal existe, les perceptions du corps enseignant sont susceptibles d’influencer la mise en place des pratiques inclusives. À ce jour, aucune étude en Suisse romande ne s’est intéressée à décrire leurs perceptions vis-à-vis de l’intégration d’élèves avec déficience visuelle (DV). Cet article vise à présenter une synthèse d’une étude ayant analysé les perceptions d’enseignantes et enseignants d’éducation physique et sportive à l’égard de l’inclusion d’élèves avec déficience visuelle.