May 1951-1976: New Outlook for the Blind

Volume 45 * Number 5

In May 1951, the journal's name changed to New Outlook for the Blind.

Volume 46 * Number 1

The March 1952 issue honored the 100th anniversary of the death of Louis Braille by including a reprint of a translation from the French of The Life of Louis Braille.

An Artwork illustrating the life
and significance of Louis Braille.

Volume 46 * Number 10

The December 1952 issue included an article by poet T. S. Eliot, entitled, "Some Thoughts on Braille."

A boy with visual impairment is shown interacting with sighted children in a nursery school located in Oregon.

Volume 48 * Number 2

The February 1954 issue featured the first contribution by Mary K. Baumann, who developed a set of manual dexterity tests for blind persons and worked as director of psychometric work at the Trainee Acceptance Center of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ms. Baumann would later serve as president of AAWB and executive secretary of the Association for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (AEVH), both predecessors of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).

Volume 49 * Number 1

In January 1955, the journal's first Editorial Advisory Board was formed with the following members: Byron H. Smith, H. A. Wood, J. M. Woolly, Philip Worschel, and Arthur L. Voorhees. The editor in chief of the journal was M. Robert Barnett.

Volume 52 * Number 1

The January 1958 issue included the first contribution by Virginia Murray Sowell of Texas Tech University, entitled "Parental Attitudes Affect Growth and Development of the Young Blind Child."

Volume 53 * Number 1

The January 1959 issue offered readers the opportunity to subscribe to the first recorded edition of the journal, which was to be made available with the September 1959 issue. The recorded edition was produced on a 16-2/3" rpm record, and the cost of an annual subscription for the recorded version was $5.

Volume 55 * Number 3

The March 1961 issue featured the "Symposium on Self-Image: A Guide to Adjustment," with articles geared towards this topic.

Volume 55 * Number 8

The October 1961 issue heralded the 40th anniversary of AFB, and included the organization's annual report.

In 1964, the look of New Outlook for the Blind changed, as illustrated in this cover from the September issue. The size of the journal increased and a different color was used for the cover of each month's issue.

Volume 58 * Number 10

The December 1964 issue featured an article by Natalie Carter Barraga of the Special Education Department at the University of Texas—Austin, entitled "Teaching Children with Low Vision." This article was reprinted, in part, in the May 2006 A Look Back, which can be found online at: <www.afb.org/jvib/jvib000503.asp>.

Volume 59 * Number 10

The December 1965 issue included an insert of a sheet of Brailon—which is paper developed specially for use with braille embossers—with braille dots; print; and tactile graphics of a house key, a quarter, a paper clip, and a triangle. The sheet was part of an American Thermoform advertisement.

Volume 60 * Number 4

The April 1966 issue marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Anne Sullivan Macy, the teacher who taught Helen Keller to communicate.

Volume 61 * Number 10

The December 1967 issue featured the "Symposium on Accreditation," a compilation of papers that were influenced by a convention of the American Association of Workers for the Blind.

In 1967, the look of New Outlook for the Blind
further changed. This January 1967 cover shows
more use of color and graphics.

Volume 62 * Number 7

The September 1968 issue commemorated Helen Keller and included reprints of three articles written by her.

Volume 63 * Number 6

The June 1969 issue offered a collection of articles on the theme aging and blindness.

Volume 63 * Number 10

The December 1969 issue marked the first instance in which children with visual impairments and other disabilities were addressed specifically, and included several articles on the topic, "The Blind Child Who Functions on a Retarded Level."

Volume 65 * Number 5

The May 1971 issue included an insert of a plastic record that contained two hours of news from U.S. News and World Report Talking Magazine.

Volume 67 * Number 2

The February 1973 issue featured a symposium on the topic of confidentiality in the schools.

Volume 67 * Number 5

The May 1973 issue offered a collection of articles on the theme of career education.

Volume 67 * Number 9

The November 1973 issue featured a special section entitled, "Voluntary Agencies: New Roles? New Responsibilities? New Problems?"

In the 1970s, bright and stylistic designs dominated
the covers of New Outlook for the Blind.

Volume 68 * Number 5

The May 1974 issue included a collection of articles on the theme of "Planning Sex Education Programs for Visually Handicapped Children and Youth."

The cover of the May 1974 special issue
on sex education.

Volume 69 * Number 8

The October 1975 issue included several articles on the topic of assessment and people who are blind.

Next: 1977-Present: Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness