Spelling performance of visually impaired adults

Abstract

Visual processes undoubtedly play an important role in print reading as well as in spelling. In the present study we intend to compare the spelling performance of visually impaired individuals (both individuals who are blind and individuals with low vision) with that of their fully sighted peers. An analysis of errors (misspelled words and spelling mistakes) was conducted. The influence of certain factors — such as gender, age, educational level and the most common medium of reading — over spelling performance was also assessed. Our results suggest that the severity of the visual disability appears to have a negative effect on the spelling performance of visually impaired adults, although the number of errors declines as the subject's level of education increases. Blind or severely visually impaired subjects who used braille frequently seem to perform better at spelling compared to those who rely on other media. Adults with low vision who use magnifying lenses frequently seem to make more spelling mistakes than those who use braille, large print, CCTV or the computer (screen-reading or screen-magnification software).