This webpage gathers resources for people working with children with vision impairment in the Arab World. You will find, among others, documents developed locally that you can down load in their MS Word version and then modify to suit your use.

Note that little of the content of these files is original: texts and ideas were adapted and translated from a wide variety of sources for the benefits of children with vision impairment and their parents, teachers, or professionals serving them. The sources are mentioned as often as possible.

If you want to know more about the Vision Rehabilitation programs (professional diploma  and master's degree) offered by the German Jordanian University, visit the University website: www.gju.edu.jo  under the School of Applied Medical Sciences.

For suggestions or comments please write to: nathalie.bussieres@gju.edu.jo.

Created: 10 September 2008

Last update: 22 September 2011

Come Closer is the English adaptation of Kom Närmare developed in Sweden through the SEEnior project at the Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden. It was made at the German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan, with the permission of the authors, to provide the students in the Vision Rehabilitation Programs and vision professionals basic information on magnification for people with low vision.

The main objective of the booklet is to emphasis the importance of using the appropriate reading distance when using magnification glasses. This distance is based on the optical properties of the lens. It is important to realize that a young person who uses accommodation might want to get even closer to the text.

The reading chart is used to estimate the need for magnification. At all times, the user is the one who determines the magnification he wants to use.

A reading chart in Arabic can be downloaded below, as well as a template that can be used to produce a reading chart in another language.

To develop a reading chart:

1. Choose a text considering the level of difficulty of the people who will be using the chart. The text should be new, so that the reader cannot guess the words or the end of the sentences.
2. Determine the size of the text the reader needs to be read. This is the small text on the upper part of each page.
3. The size of the text in the bottom of the page is found by multiplying the size of the text that needs to be read (in 2.) by the magnification need (top of the page). For example, if the text in the upper part of the page is 10 p, and the magnification is 10x (p. 1 of the chart or p. 22 of Come Closer), the text in the bottom part should be 100 p (10 p x 10 = 100 p).  

If you want your chart to be available to others or if you have questions, send an email to nathalie.bussieres@gju.edu.jo.