A closer look at the population of individuals with visual impairment in Florida.

Demographic data can provide interested individuals with important information about a population of interest. Depending on the target of the demographer's research, statistics on gender, age, ethnicity, disability status, labor force participation, and economic standing can be obtained. These data can be useful in a variety of situations. Kirchner (1988) described 8 purposes for having accurate demographic data on the population of people with visual impairments:

a) to document need for existing or innovative programs

b) to support testimony on legislation affecting people with visual impairments;

c) to inform legislative analysis to evaluate public programs and to develop new policy;

d) to serve as a baseline measure for researchers;

e) to inform evidence in judicial hearings;

f) to support marketing strategies for businesses targeting people with visual impairments;

g) to provide support for the training of needed professionals; and

h) to justify fund-raising and public education activities.

Directors of a state agency providing rehabilitation services to people with visual impairments generally use population data for the following purposes: to support or oppose testimony on applicable legislation, to evaluate public programs, to propose new policy, to justify public education activities, and to document the need for services. Access to an accurate source of information with regard to the number of individuals with visual impairment is critical. With this prevalence information, agencies can more confidently estimate the current and future need for services, identify groups whose needs are not met, and prepare for corresponding changes in the requirements for appropriately trained service providers. More importantly, accurate prevalence data provides administrators with the support that they need to prepare funding requests that reflect the true nature of the potential demands for their services.

The difficulty acquiring accurate data on the numbers of individuals with visual impairments has been described in detail by Kirchner (1983, 1999) and Beatty and Davis (1998). Problems are related primarily to researchers' use of different definitions to describe the phenomenon of visual impairment. While some researchers use medically-based definitions, such as 'legal blindness' as their criteria, others use functional definitions, such as "not being able to read ordinary print" or "unable to read newspaper print." In education, the requirement that only one disability be identified for the annual child count results in underestimations of the total number of students served by teachers of students with visual impairments (see Kirchner & Diament, 1999 for detailed explanations of these reporting issues).

Another factor that impacts prevalence data is the context in which the questions are asked. Surveys focusing on health status tend to result in fewer individuals being identified as visually impaired than do surveys focusing on economic issues (e.g., ability to work) (Kirchner, 1999). The manner in which data are collected also has an impact on the results. Visually screening participants provides objective data about eye disease and acuity (Katz & Tielsch, 1996), while interviews and surveys result in more subjective findings-and these can complicated by whether the survey respondent is reporting for him or herself or for a family member (Nelson, 1987).

Two often-cited sources of data on the prevalence of blindness are the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. While neither of these surveys focuses specifically on visual impairment, they sometimes include questions related to limitations in seeing or reading print. Interestingly, these two studies result in substantially different estimates of the numbers of individuals with visual impairments, with the SIPP finding that approximately 7.6 million people aged 15 years and older in 1997 had difficulty reading ordinary newspaper print (U.S Census Bureau, 1997), while the NHIS resulted in the estimate that in 1984 4.2 million people over the age of 15 could not read newspaper print (Beatty & Davis, 1998). Possible explanations for the discrepancies in these estimates have been offered by several researchers (Beatty & Davis, 1998; Kirchner, 1999; Nelson & Dimitrova, 1993) and are beyond the scope of this article.

Another, more recent, source of data on visual impairment in the United States was conducted in 2000 by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute (Friedman, Congdon, Kempen, & Tielsch, 2002). Using data from a variety of ophthalmic epidemiological studies, a meta-analysis was conducted and estimates of blindness and visual impairment were determined by age, eye disease, race, and gender for individuals over the age of 40. Based on these studies, the prevalence of visual impairment for this age group in the United States was found to be approximately 3.4 million.

State data

Since the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment increases with age (Friedman et al., 2002), it is reasonable to expect that the percentage of individuals with these conditions will vary in each state, dependent on the age of the resident population. In fact, this situation exists, with only 1.3% of the population in Alaska, a state with a younger population, estimated to have visual impairment, while in a state with a larger population of elderly residents, such as North Dakota, the percentage is 3.74 (Friedman et al., 2002). In those states with higher percentages of individuals with visual impairment, state and private agencies serving this population require greater resources to meet individuals' needs for rehabilitation, independent living, library, and medical services.

Florida is ranked as the state with the seventh largest population of individuals with visual impairments, with an estimated 261,745 (3.42%) of its citizens over the age of 40 falling into this category, and with 76,799 people in this age group identified as legally blind (Friedman et al., 2002). These 2002 estimates differ from those calculated by Nelson and Dimitrova in 1993, who, using the NHIS 1984 data, found that the average rate of severe visual impairment in Florida was 22.6 per 1000 persons, with an estimated 293,020 people of all ages experiencing difficulty seeing well enough with glasses to read ordinary print.

Aware of these discrepancies and needing accurate data on the number of citizens with visual impairment residing in Florida who are potential users of their services, the Florida Division of Blind Services contracted with the author to conduct a study to identify the characteristics of the population of people with visual impairments in the state. Of particular interest to the Division were the numbers of citizens who report limitations in functioning related to visual impairment. As a result, the following questions guided this research:

1. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that prevents them from driving?

2. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that prevents them from working?

3. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that significantly interferes with work?

4. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that prevents them from performing typical household tasks?

5. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that makes them more dependent on others than preferable?

6. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that prevents them from enjoying social or community functions?

7. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that prevents them from using public transportation?

8. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that causes difficulty in school situations?

9. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that requires special services from the school system?

10. How many people in Florida have an eye condition that is considered legal blindness or has been diagnosed as legally blind?

Method

Procedure

As the purpose of this study was to collect information directly from a sample of individuals to make estimates of the characteristics of a larger population, it was determined that the most appropriate approach was to use a survey. Given the confounding effects of using print-based mail surveys when the subject under investigation is the number of people experiencing difficulty with reading, a telephone survey was proposed.

The Survey Research Laboratory at Florida State University assisted the researcher with the development of a household survey and by conducting the telephone interviews. After the survey was developed, the Florida State University Human Subjects Committee granted approval of the project.

The sampling frame, containing randomly generated numbers for Florida telephone exchanges from which known businesses and nonworking numbers had been excluded, was purchased from Survey Sampling, Inc. Because of the common use of telephone answering machines and caller identification functions, combined with the high rate of individuals who hang up on surveyors, it was necessary to include in the sample frame far more numbers than were actually contacted. A total of 32,000 numbers were purchased for this project.

Of the numbers that were purchased, a total of 21,199 numbers were attempted. Of these, 37 percent (n=7,857) resulted in a contact with a household. Interviews were completed with 30 percent of these households. Twenty-seven percent of the households refused to be interviewed. The remaining 42 percent of the households attempted were not reachable due to answering machines and privacy directories. The resulting sample of 2,329 voluntary interviews that provided information on 5,872 individuals was judged to be adequate to meet the parameters required by the data analysis procedures.

Instrument

The Chief of the Division of Blind Services' (DBS) Bureau of Client Services and Program Support prepared a list of potential survey questions based on input from the administrators of the three programs within that Bureau: 1) Vocational Rehabilitation Program; 2) Independent Living Adult Program; and 3) the Children's and Family Program. A representative of the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services also submitted a list of potential questions designed to solicit information about library users. Questions addressed both clinical (Has this household member been diagnosed as legally blind?) and functional issues (Does the eye condition of this household member prevent him/her from enjoying social or community functions?).

These questions were provided to representatives of the FSU Survey Research Laboratory (SRL), who created a first draft of the telephone survey in April, 2002. The recommendations of Beatty and Davis (1998) regarding avoiding discrepancies in print reading disability statistics were considered in the formation of the key question related to difficulty reading. This draft was carefully reviewed at a meeting held during July, 2002, during which each item was examined for clarity and intent by the DBS Bureau Chief, the demographer employed for this project, the Director of the SRL, and the researcher. Problems with wording were noted and remaining questions regarding the needs of the funding agency identified. Once clarified, the SRL team developed a pilot survey, which was further reviewed and approved by the Bureau Chief. A programmer familiar with the interview software to be used created the electronic version of the pilot interview.

Interviewers were trained in the purpose of the study by the researcher and reviewed as a group each of the survey questions with the SRL Director. Any confusion about the intent of a question was clarified and their concerns about possible responses addressed. Final modifications to the survey were made after a field test conducted by SRL to 200 households.

The final instrument consisted of 25 non-demographic questions. After a) explaining the purpose of the survey, b) confirming the telephone number of the respondent, c) assuring that he respondent was over 18 years old and knowledgeable about the people in the household, and d) providing information about anonymity of responses, the respondent was asked a series of eight demographic questions about the oldest member of the household. Question 9 asked if this person had difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as the result of a visual, physical, or reading disability. If the answer to this question were "no," the interviewer asked the demographic questions about the next oldest individual in the household; if the response were "yes," then additional questions about any difficulty in reading and other issues related to visual impairment were asked. This process continued for each member of the household. On average, the survey took about 5.5 minutes to complete.

Interviewers

Interviewers were employees of the Survey Research Laboratory. Interviews were conducted on 25 Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) call stations with calls made during peak day and night hours seven days a week. English-, Spanish-, and Creole-speaking interviewers were employed in this project. In conducting the survey, the SRL and its staff adhered to the Code of Professional Ethics and Practices of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

The household survey was conducted between March 25, 2003 and August 3, 2003. The SRL used a two-stage process to obtain completions. In the first stage, the lab called each number to verify that it was a working, non-business phone number. Once a number was determined to be working, numerous attempts were made on different days and at different times to complete the survey with the potential respondent. Refusal conversion was gently attempted by these experienced interviewers for each refusal. Information concerning all telephone calls made on each case was kept in both print and electronic form throughout the interviewing period.

Apparatus

The SRL used Sawtooth WinCAti software to automatically route the interviewer through the questionnaire, producing each appropriate question in turn, thus eliminating one source of interviewer error. All acceptable answers were programmed into the Ci3 questionnaire, and only those responses could be chosen by the interviewer. All data were automatically entered into a computer file by the CATI system, thus eliminating data entry errors. A random sample of interviews was monitored by the Director of the Survey Research Laboratory.

Participants

The 2,329 interviews with households yielded information about 5,872 individuals residing within the households at the time of the survey. The majority (96.6%) indicated that they reside in Florida at least 6 months during every year. The sample was evaluated to determine how well it represents the population of Floridians in terms of age, ethnicity and geographical representation. In general, the sample mirrored the population in terms of these characteristics when using the 2000 U.S. Census as a baseline. With regard to gender, 47.7 (n=2,795) percent of the sample were male and 52.3 percent (n=3,060) were female, while census figures for Florida indicated that these figures were 48.8 and 51.2 percent respectively in 2000. A chi square test revealed that these differences were not significant.

An analysis of the ethnicity of the sample revealed that a smaller percentage of individuals in the sample were identified as white (70.4%; n= 4,135) than was determined in the 2000 Census (78%) and that more people in the sample were identified as "other" when asked about their race (10.7%; n=626), as compared to the census figures (3%). Indeed, a chi square test confirmed that these differences were statistically significant. The percentage of the sample that was identified as of Spanish or Hispanic origin was 21.3% (n=1,251), which is somewhat higher, but not statistically different based on the chi square test, than the 16.8% identified in the 2000 sample.

Findings

The Director of the Center for Demography and Population Health at Florida State University utilized a weighting factor in order to extrapolate the prevalence with which the questions related to reading difficulty and visual impairment would have been answered had the entire population of the State of Florida responded to the survey questions.

Based on these calculations, 813,475 individuals in Florida in 2003 are estimated to have difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as a result of a visual, physical, or reading disability. Of these citizens, 362,026 are estimated to be blind or visually impaired, representing 2.3% of the state's population. It was calculated that 106,712 individuals, or .7% of the population of Florida, have been diagnosed as legally blind.

Age Estimates

Because the prevalence of visual impairment is known to increase with age, responses to the survey questions were further analyzed by this variable. Using the Division of Blind Services' organizational structure as a guideline, these age groupings were created to closely correspond to the three primary programs within the Bureau of Client Services and Program Support, as follows:

* Children's and Family Program                  Ages birth -14
* Vocational Rehabilitation Program              Ages 15-59
* Independent Living Adult Program               Ages 60 and older

See Table 1 for these estimates of prevalence as they relate to difficulty in functioning.

Clients of the Children's and Family Program. Unfortunately, the sample was not large enough to provide accurate estimates of the number of children with visual impairments in the state of Florida. Given that the Florida Instructional Materials Center reports only approximately 1,833 students as being totally blind out of a population of 16 million, it is easy to understand why this sample of 5,760 individuals was not adequate to provide reliable estimates for this age group.

Clients of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program. About 5% of the state's working age population (456,638) is estimated to have difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as a result of a visual, physical or reading disability. While some of these people are estimated to have reading (.5%) or physical (.2%) disabilities that prevent them from reading, most ([n.sub.est]=199,911) are considered blind or visually impaired. This estimate accounts for 2.2% of the Florida population between the ages of 15 and 59. Legal blindness is projected for .6% of this age group in Florida, or 56,568 persons.

Based on these findings (See Table 1), it is predicted that 1.2% of individuals in this age group residing in Florida, or nearly 109,000 people, have an eye condition that makes them more dependent on others than they would like to be. This dependency is expressed in the estimates of people of this age who are prevented from driving (.9%; ([n.sub.est]=79,139 people) because of an eye condition, who cannot use public transportation (.3%; [n.sub.est]=28,548 citizens), or who are prevented from performing household tasks (.5%; [n.sub.est]=45,287 residents) and enjoying social or community functions (1.2%; [n.sub.est]=109,003 people).

With regard to work, it is estimated that .3%, or 27,146 individuals between the ages of 15 and 59 have an eye condition that significantly interferes with the work that they do. An eye condition was found to prevent 58,572 (.6%) working age Floridians from working. Similarly, for 53,644 (.6%) of this age group, school is made more difficult by an eye condition

Clients of the Independent Living Adult Program. About 8.8% of the state's older population ([n.sub.est]=302,423) is estimated to have difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as a result of a visual, physical or reading disability. Again, relatively few of these people reported having reading (.8%) or physical (.6%) disabilities that prevent them from reading; most ([n.sub.est]=135,040) are considered blind or visually impaired. This estimate accounts for 3.9% of the Florida population over the age of 60. Legal blindness is projected for 1.4% of this age group in Florida, or 46,422 persons.

It is estimated that 3.1% of individuals in this age group residing in Florida ([n.sub.est]=106,197 people) have an eye condition that makes them more dependent on others than they would like to be. This dependency is expressed in the estimates of people of this age who are prevented from driving (2.8%, or [n.sub.est]=95,035 people) because of an eye condition, who cannot use public transportation (1.7%; [n.sub.est]=57,409 individuals), or who are prevented from performing household tasks (1.9%; [n.sub.est]=66,644 citizens) and enjoying social or community functions (3.1%; [n.sub.est]=106,197 residents).

Even though these years are not typically associated with working, it was predicted that 2.1% or 71,557 individuals between over the age of 60 have an eye condition that significantly interferes with their work and that 1.8% ([n.sub.est]=62,982) are prevented from working by an eye condition.

Comparisons to other studies

The accuracy of these calculations is confirmed by the similarity between these estimates and those published by the National Eye Institute (NEI) and Prevent Blindness America (PBA) (Friedman et al., 2002). In the NEI/PBA study, Florida was estimated to have 261,745 cases of visual impairment (including blindness) among people over 40. This figure is almost identical to the number of individuals over 40 who are estimated in the current study to be blind or visually impaired ([n.sub.est]=257,640). Similarly, the number of cases of blindness among people over 40 estimated by the NEI/PBA researchers was 76,532-as compared to the 76,799 estimated through the current analysis. Given these similarities, confidence in the reliability of these calculations is strong.

Concomitant Hearing Impairment

Respondents were asked if the member of the household experiencing the difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print also had a hearing impairment. After calculating the population estimates, it was determined that .4% of the population ([n.sub.est]=40,313) between the ages of 15 and 59 experienced a dual disability. Among citizens over 60 years old, this estimate rose to 2.8% of the population ([n.sub.est]=96,131)

Awareness of the Division of Blind Services

Respondents were asked if household members were aware of or receiving services from the Division of Blind Services. Based on the responses, it was estimated that 2.3% ([n.sub.est]=211,691) Florida citizens between the ages of 15 and 59 were aware of the Division, but that only .1% ([n.sub.est]=12,418) were currently receiving services. It was estimated that a larger percentage (.6%; [n.sub.est] =21,543) of citizens over age 60 were receiving services from DBS, while nearly 4.8% ([n.sub.est]=165,969) were familiar with the agency.

Discussion

Based on these estimates, policy makers and service providers have a better understanding of the numbers of individuals residing in Florida who have an eye condition that interferes with major life tasks and who are receiving services to develop skills to reduce the impact of that eye condition. Among individuals 15 years and older, it appears as though the potential demand for services is far greater than the level of services currently being funded and provided by the educational, vocational, blindness, and elder care systems.

For example, given the estimates of individuals with reading and physical disabilities, as well as those who are legally blind, it can be concluded that 239,232 Floridians could benefit from the services offered by the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services. Since it is estimated that only 135,711 people, mostly adults, are using talking books or books on tape, it appears as though only 57% of the eligible population are using this service.

Similarly, slightly more than 124,000 Floridians are estimated to have an eye condition that prevents them from working. The cost in both economic and social resources when these individuals are unemployed is considerable. These findings offer a particular challenge to the state's vocational rehabilitation program, the mission of which is to provide vocational rehabilitation services to individuals who have limitations in functioning due to a diagnosed visual condition but who want to work, regardless of age. These estimates also suggest additional demands on the university training programs, whose responsibility it is to prepare adequate numbers of rehabilitation counselors, vocational evaluators, rehabilitation teachers, and orientation and mobility specialists to serve this group.

The implications of these findings on services to people over 60 years old is also far-reaching, particularly if the criteria for service eligibility are limitations in important life activities, such as performing household tasks ([n.sub.est]=66,644 people) and using public transportation ([n.sub.est]=57,509 people). The estimated prevalence of 106,197 seniors over the age of 60 who are more dependent on others than they would prefer is reflective of the number of potential clients of agencies serving elderly adults, many of whom, without appropriate training in adjusting to blindness, will be more dependent-and more costly to their families and to society-than otherwise necessary.

Knowing that 16% ([n.sub.est]=136,434) of the individuals who have difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as a result of a visual, physical, or reading disability also have a hearing impairment has serious implications to both the rehabilitation and the educational systems. This information suggests that universities training professionals to work with people with print disabilities need to include specific interventions related to hearing impairment in their personnel preparation curricula. In addition, this information is useful to administrators of talking book programs, whose clients may need additional assistive devices to utilize their services.

The results of this study also provide some insight into the early impact of a visual impairment on functioning. It appears as though the earliest effects of a visual impairment for both age groups (15-59 and 60 and over) are on an individual's dependency on others and on their enjoyment of social and community functions. Prevention from driving was identified as a third area where individuals are restricted by their visual impairment. These areas are probably all related, as the inability to drive may increase the sense of dependence and reduce the ability to participate in community functions. Still, these findings may have implications for service providers as they work with consumers to identify areas of desired rehabilitation. It is possible, for instance, that the consumer might value services related to increasing the enjoyment of social and community functions over services intended to increase involvement in typical household tasks. If so, success at increasing participation in community functions might facilitate the client's interest in other rehabilitation services.

Currently, 50% ([n.sub.est]=402,394) Florida citizens experiencing difficulty seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print as the result of a visual, physical, or reading disability are aware of the Division of Blind Services. Of the individuals currently receiving services from the Division ([n.sub.est]=37,684), .6% ([n.sub.est]=21,543), are in the elderly age group, while only .1% ([n.sub.est]=12,418) are in the working age group. It appears as though the greatest unmet need is within the working age population. Understanding this phenomenon might provide some insight into the statistics related to the high rates of unemployment of this group.

Limitations

Several limitations are associated with a study of this kind. Two of the most noteworthy concerns relate to the selection of a telephone survey as the instrument of data collection. Only 30% of the households that could be contacted agreed to participate in the study, while a nearly equal percentage (27%) refused to be interviewed. There may have been important differences between these two groups. In addition, the survey relied on information provided by one household member for all of the members of that household. It is possible that the respondent provided inaccurate information about the household members. Even if the respondent were the person of interest (the person with difficulty reading ordinary newspaper print as a result of a visual, physical, or reading disability), the information collected may have been less reliable, as self-report data generally are not considered as accurate as measured functional data.

Conclusion

With these data, the Florida Division of Blind Services is in a more informed position to document the need for existing or innovative programs, to inform legislative analyses of public programs and to develop new programs, to support the training of needed professionals, and to justify public education activities. While these findings are limited to Florida, this research has value for a number of reasons. It supports the reliability of the findings of the work of Friedman et al. (2002), thereby assuring agency directors in other states of the usefulness of this data base. In addition, these findings provide a more detailed glimpse of this population, whose members experience transportation, dependency, and social isolation issues in far greater numbers than do those who experience the impact of vision loss on their ability to work or perform typical household tasks. In both of the age groups studied, the prevalence of individuals who are eligible for services based on the diagnosis of legal blindness ([n.sub.est]=106,712) is over 2.8 times the number currently receiving services.

Kirchner (1999) cautioned that the demand for services does not depend on prevalence alone. She identified several national trends that are predictive of a lower prevalence of visual impairment in the future. On the other hand, she noted that there are important changes in the country that will increase the demand for services among people who are visually impaired, among which are an increased interest in lifelong learning, the fitness movement, the use of home- and community-based living arrangements, the acceptance of technology as a tool for improving access to information and the receptiveness of people toward assistive technology, and the reduction of the stigma of disability through the disability rights movement.

If Kirchner's (1999) analysis is accurate, then it will be necessary for the educational, vocational rehabilitation, elder care, university personnel preparation, and blindness systems to prepare themselves for an increased demand for services. Were even a small percentage of the currently unserved group in Florida to become more insistent that services be provided, it is likely that the systems responsible for meeting this demand would have difficulty coping. The prevalence figures reported here can serve as a useful tool in planning to meet the current and future needs of Florida's residents with visual impairment. In addition, they can provide guidance to policy makers in other states as the needs of their citizens are reviewed plans to meet those citizen's need developed.

References

American Printing House for the Blind. (2002). Annual Report: 2003: October 1, 2002-September 30, 2003. Louisville, KY: Author.

Beatty, W., & Davis, W. (1998). Evaluating the discrepancies in print reading disability statistics (Cognitive Methods Staff Working Paper Series, No. 25). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

Friedman, D. S., Congdon, N., Kempen, J., & Tielsch, J. M. (2002). Vision problems in the United States: Prevalence of adult vision impairment and age-related eye disease in America. Schaumber, IL: Prevent Blindness America.

Katz, J. & Tielsch, J.M. (1996). Visual function and visual acuity in an urban adult population. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 90(5), 367-377.

Kirchner, C. (1983). Special education for visually handicapped children: A critique of data on numbers served and costs (Statistical Brief #23). Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 77(5), 219-223.

Kirchner, C. (1988). Data on blindness and visual impairment in the U.S.: A resource manual on social demographic characteristics, education, employment and income, and service delivery (2nd Ed.). New York: American Foundation for the Blind.

Kirchner, C. (1999). USABLE Data Report #2: Prevalence estimates for visual impairment: Cutting through the data jungle. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 93(4), 253-259.

Kirchner, C., & Diament, S. (1999). USABLE Data Report: Estimates of the number of visually impaired students, their teachers, and orientation and mobility specialists: Part 1. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 93(9), 600-606.

Nelson, K.A. (1987). Visual impairment among elderly Americans: Statistics in transition. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 81(7), 331-334.

Nelson, K. A., & Dimitrova, G. (1993). Statistical brief #3\6: Severe visual impairment in the United States and in each state, 1990. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 87(3), 80-85.

U. S. Census Bureau. (1997). Americans with Disabilities: 1997--Table 2. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/ disable/sipp/disab97/ds97t2.html July 29, 2004.

Sandra Lewis

Florida State University

Sandra Lewis, The Department of Childhood Education, Florida State University 205 Stone Building, Tallahassee, FL. 32306-4459

Table 1
Estimated prevalence of Florida citizens
indicating impact of an eye condition on
functioning in 2002

                             Estimated           Estimated
                             Prevalence in       Prevalence in
                             Florida, Ages       Florida, Ages
                             15-59               60 and over

Has an eye condition
that prevents individual
from driving.                 79,139             95,035

Has an eye condition
that prevents individual
from working.                 58,572             62,982

Has an eye condition
that significantly
interferes with work.         27,146             71,557

Has an eye condition
that prevents individual
from performing typical
household tasks.              45,287             66,644

Has an eye condition
that makes individual
more dependent on
others than preferable.      109,003            106,197

Has an eye condition
that prevents individual
from enjoying social or
community functions.         109,003            106,197

Has an eye condition
that prevents individual
from using public
transportation.               28,548             57,409

Has an eye condition
that causes difficulty in
school situations.            53,644              5,461

Has an eye condition
that requires special
services from the
school system.                26,260              2,432

Has an eye condition
that is considered legal
blindness or has been
diagnosed as legally blind    56,568             46,422