Improved productivity through purposeful use of additional template for a woman with cortical blindness

A single-subject study with an ABAB design investigated an adaptation of a work activity through the purposeful use of an additional template to improve productivity for a woman with cortical blindness resulting from anoxic brain damage. The activity required the subject to outline brackets (as parts of a handi-rack woodwork project) by tracing a template on a piece of pine board. During the baseline phase of the study, the subject used one template to outline the brackets. During the intervention phase, the subject used an additional template after receiving a brief training in its use. Productivity was measured by the number of potentially usable outlined brackets. Data analysis revealed that in the intervention phases, productivity improved significantly and accuracy increased. The application of tapping the subjects' intact sensory system was valuable for determining her vocational potential. The rationale of using an additional template to improve productivity was explained by the theory of affordance.