NIU Researcher Receives Grant to Study Vocabulary Development in Blind Children

Voice of the Blind has learned that Lindsay Harris, an associate professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU), has been awarded a four-year, $745,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health through its National Eye Institute. The grant will fund Harris’s research into how children who are blind or visually impaired develop vocabulary compared to their sighted peers.

The study plans to involve 100 blind or visually impaired children alongside 100 sighted children, all aged between 5 and 12. The research will test the children's ability to define words presented to them auditorily. It will also explore how these children develop their understanding of language—whether through language context or direct experience.

Researchers, guided by Harris, aim to understand if the absence of visual experiences affects semantic knowledge and vocabulary size. Another critical aspect of the research is determining if vocabulary limitations might contribute to reading delays in blind children. These insights could prove vital in shaping educational and intervention strategies.

Eligible children for the study must be aged 5 to 14 at the time of the research, have been completely blind by age 1—with no more than light perception—and must reside in the United States or Canada.

This groundbreaking study holds promise for enhancing educational approaches and ensuring that blind children receive the support they need in vocabulary development.