A Writing Assessment for Persons With Age-Related Vision Loss
By Watson, Gale R.; Wright, Valjean; Wyse, Erica; De l'Aune, William; Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, Vol. 98, No. 3, pp. 160-167Publication Date: March 2004
Article describes the development and evaluation of the Low Vision Writing Assessment, which is a five-item writing assessment for people with age-related vision loss. The test was designed for research purposes, and could be used as a clinical test by low vision therapists, rehabilitation teachers, eye care specialists, and others who may require information regarding written literacy ability. The assessment consists of five writing tasks: (1) writing a grocery list that can be read by the person and others, (2) writing a check, (3) balancing a check register, (4) writing a paragraph of prose, and (5) filling out a medical form. If the writer is using alternative forms of communication, such as a listening device or a tactile communication mechanism, then the medium chosen for response to an item must be appropriate to the intended audience. The five items on the assessment are weighed equally, and points are assigned to each item for scoring purposes. The authors contend that the Low Vision Writing Assessment is a quick, reliable, and valid assessment of the writing abilities of people with age-related vision loss for functional literacy writing tasks.
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
