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In this article we plan to define the field of blindness rehabilitation by providing outlines of areas of knowledge in the field. Initially, we had intended to determine the state-of-the-art in the field of blindness rehabilitation. For that endeavor one must have a good definition of the field and its scope. In our attempts to define the field and to specify its limits, we sought to identify specific major areas and subareas. Although individuals familiar with the practice, administration, and research in an area might find many of the subareas obvious, they might not always agree on organization and limits of the field.
Patterns of Communication
Substantial communication and discussion of activities, systems, techniques, research, and political issues take place among individuals in this field, whether in service delivery or administrative roles. Unfortunately, no well-established tradition exists of writing and publishing the richness of existing information in forms that reach academic libraries. Differing views of the field of blindness rehabilitation may account for that situation. The 1974 Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers the following definitions: Afield is "an area, division, or sphere of activity," such as the field of science. A discipline is "a field of study: subject." A profession is "a calling requiring specialized knowledge and other long academic preparation." (A calling is "the activity in which one customarily engages as an occupation.") Based on these definitions, blindness rehabilitation may be a field, a discipline, and a profession, depending on which aspect one emphasizes. All concerned probably would agree that it is a field; administrators and practitioners delivering services, however, might view blindness rehabilitation as a profession or calling and have little incentive to publish. On the other hand, educators and researchers may view the field as a discipline, have incentives to publish, and place more emphasis on traditional research and publication. As a result of those differences in emphasis, knowledge in many areas in the field often is communicated through onthe-job training and apprenticeships. Few people write about it, using a systematic framework. We hope to provide such a framework by identifying the major areas in the field and then elaborating on each of them much as a writer would prepare detailed outlines for chapters in a book.
General Organizing Strategy
Our initial approach to...