The Relationship of Vision and Psychological Variables to the Orientation and Mobility of Visually Impaired Persons

Abstract

The relationship between orientation and mobility (O&M) performance and residual vision is not clearly understood. Intuitively, good vision should result in good O&M, and little or no vision should result in poor O&M. However, the literature suggests a more complicated picture. The authors propose that certain psychological variables, such as particular personality traits and intelligence, may account for some of the complexity. This article reviews previous work in this area and outlines directions for future research.