Picture 1: driving on freeway Picture 2: sculpture of cycling clogs Picture 4: crossing showing car, pedestrian and bike lanes Picture 5: moped on cycle path and walk path next to it both separated by tree lined refuge then car lane Picture 5 shows shared streets Picture 6 shows shared streets. Bioptic driving in The Netherlands and the European Union became legal and commenced practiced in 2009. The Netherlands is the only EU country with a formalised bioptic driving program

Main photo Dr Jing Xu, small photo on bottom right Belinda O’Connor I came across Dr Xu’s work through The Eye, The Brain, The Auto “10th World Research Congress on Vision and Driving and the Impact of Autonomous Vehicle Technology on Healthcare”https://www.henryford.com/hcp/research/clinical-research/vision/research-congress/eye-brain-auto . And her paper “Clinical Report: Experiences of a Driver with Vision Impairment when Using a Tesla Car” in which the driver was also a b

California has a long history of low vision and bioptic driving with many critical events in evolution. In this blog I interview various people about California's history and current practice and reflect on the similarities and differences of success factors and barriers for Australia. Of particular interest in California is the controversy around studies done in 1983 and 1996 on motor vehicle collision rates of bioptic drivers. Interviews with: California's first licensed bi

Agenda for the last TSBVI In the Drivers Seat weekend A jump up to the fast-paced Austin, Texas is worlds apart from my previous stops in the USA. Here the culture, road infrastructure, services look like Melbourne and Sydney. Here bioptic driving has been around in the 1970s in practice and then formalised in law in the 1980s. Like many other places allowing those down to legally blind (20/200) to drive with a bioptic (20/40) if they pass the extensive eye and onroad testing

Indiana Bioptic Driving arrangements - PENDING

About Dr Greene Henry Greene, OD, FAAO, is a graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. From 1974 through 1977 he studied low vision rehabilitation at the Industrial Home for the Blind in Brooklyn, NY, with Dr. George Hellinger, an early pioneer in the field of low vision. While in New York, Dr. Greene published papers regarding the vision issues associated with hearing loss while a consultant at the St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf. From 1977 through 1980 h

Picture: Mark left, Belinda right Mark E Wilkinson, OD is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Director, Vision Rehabilitation Service for Carver College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at University of Iowa. Dr. Wilkinson's research interests are in two general areas; inherited eye diseases and driving with a reduction in visual functioning. I contacted Dr Wilkinson because I wanted an alternative view to bioptic driving in the USA and to lear

Photo: Kentucky state driving school car, Belinda O’Connor from Bioptic Drivers Australia, Brenda Eadens, Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist and Bioptic Driving Program Driver Trainer of Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Chuck Huss, Driver Rehabilitation Specialist West Virginia. A topic close to my heart is that of using tints to improve functional vision for people with colour deficiency or colour blindness. This is a topic that needs considerable and

VIDEO: Belinda in discussion with Suzanne on Bioptic Driving with Achromatopsia Chat with Suzanne - a bioptic driver with Achromatopsia This is a 40-minute video of my discussion with Suzanne Germano whom at the time of this recording has been a legally blind bioptic driver for 8 years. She has had no accidents and no infringement notices for speeding nor red-light camera. She is a safe driver. Suzanne and I were born with Achromatopias which means the cones in our retin

Left: Dr Bradly Dougherty, Associate Professor, Ohio State University College of Optometry; Right: Belinda O'Connor, Bioptic Drivers Australia I was honoured to speak with Dr. Bradley E. Dougherty, OD, PhD, Associate Professor at the Ohio State University College of Optometry. Dr. Dougherty’s research interests include driving with central vision impairment, evaluation of new technologies for low vision rehabilitation, visual assessment, and analysis of patient-reported outco

Picture of outside West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Regional Office Driver Performance Measurement (DPM) test The student is introduced to the DPM in Week 5 of the program. The DPM tool provides a reliable criterion valid method of measuring dynamic behaviour patterns in actual traffic. The intellectual property is owned by Michigan State University (MSU) (by (Forbes et al, 1975) whom under contract work with other parties to develop a DPM driving route with accompani

Photo: West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) sign in background. Left to right: Roxanna. L. Dove R.N., Medical Coordinator, WV Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); Chuck Huss COMS, Vision Rehabilitation Consultant; Belinda O'Connor, Bioptic Drivers Australia; Arthur. D. Williams CDI, Bioptic Driving Program, WV DRS. West Virginia’s Bioptic Driving Program Underpinned by a 2008 Bill to Code noted below, the program (eligibility, curriculum, completion standar

Chuck, Ashley, Dan at West Virginia Division of Driver Rehabilitation Services During my visit to West Virginia, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate and observe one of the students enrolled in the WV bioptic driver’s training program participating in an on-foot, then active passenger in-car training exercise taught and reinforced by former instructor, Chuck Huss, COMS, Driver Rehabilitation Specialist. I wholeheartedly believe we need this in Australia. I’v

Belinda on the left in both photos. Left picture with Jean Paul LaChance, Low Vision Rehabilitation Optometrist. Right picture with Virginie Marchand, Bioptic Driving Program Coordinator and Orientation and Mobility Specialist. At Institute de Readaptation en Deficiency Physique de Quebec (IRDPQ). Québec Province Bioptic Driving Program Structure The structure of the program has been developed to fit into the standard process that everyone goes through to obtain a driver’s li

Driving instructor is Alain, Student is Vanessa, Bioptic Driving Program Coordinator & Orientation and Mobility Specialist is Virginie. Standing beside the driving school car outside the rehabilitation center of IRDPQ (Institut de readaptation en deficience physique de Quebec). The driving instruction phase This phase commences from phase two through to phase four. By this time the low vision, bioptic driver has had classroom training on how to use their vision, experience i

Left picture of the use of a smart TV using Google maps to show Vision techniques. Right picture of a city setting in a driving simulator. Middle picture has a banner of the organisation in Québec that does rehabilitation for disabled people for Driving named IRDPQ. IRDPQ is one of the 14 centres that offers free low vision services to Québec province residence and is the other of two places that offers bioptic driving habilitation (the other being INLB in Montréal). This is

Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille (INLB) CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre – Longueuil, Montréal, Canada Visit date: Monday, 29 May 2023 Left to right: Véronique Small (Optometrist), Anyk Bélair (Optician), Annik Gemme (Driving Program Coordinator and orientation and mobility specialist), Vincent Moore (Optometrist), Belinda O’Connor (Bioptic Drivers Australia), Maude Gravel (Orientation and Mobility Specialist), Nicholas Leroux (Orientation and Mobility Specialist) Today’s Age