In the Mind of the Beholder

"I felt like I'd died and forgotten to leave my body," one newly blind adult says. Blindness or significant sight loss presents a vast number of challenges for people who have been used to seeing. In addition to re-learning the basics (how to walk, sit, find a table, shop, cook, and generally survive), there is the grief process and working out how one retains independence and sense of self. In this tape, in addition to the basic skills, we see students at the Orientation Center for the Blind in Albany, California, learning a wide range of activities, including using a sewing machine and a table saw! Oddly, this interesting program is not closed captioned (an annoying omission for any video intended for a general audience, but especially so for one concerned with a major sensory disability). Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)