Psychosocial implications ofblindness and low-vision

This article discusses several aspects of psychosocial adjustment to blindness andlow-vision and proposes that the education of both the self and society are essential forpositive adjustment. It exposes some of the general misunderstandings about visualimpairment and demonstrates how these are partly responsible for the perpetuation of mythsand misconceptions regarding the character and abilities of this population. It argues thatconfidence and self-esteem are deeply connected to ability and should be regarded asconstructive elements of the ego usually manifested in different types of introverted orextroverted behaviour. Wherever possible arguments will be backed by current and pastresearch in social and abnormal psychology as well as specific case studies recorded by theauthor during the years he spent conducting research and working as a life-skills tutor at theRoyal London Society for the Blind

Enhanced Accessibility for People with Disabilities Living in Urban Areas

[Excerpt] People with disabilities constitute a significant proportion of the poor in developing countries. If internationally agreed targets on reducing poverty are to be reached, it is critical that specific measures be taken to reduce the societal discrimination and isolation that people with disabilities continue to face. Transport is an important enabler of strategies to fight poverty through enhancing access to education, employment, and social services. This project aims to further the understanding of the mobility and access issues experienced by people with disabilities in developing countries, and to identify specific steps that can be taken to start addressing problems. A major objective of the project is to compile a compendium of guidelines that can be used by government authorities, advocacy groups, and donor/loan agencies to improve the access of people with disabilities to transport and other services in urban areas

The Glass Ceiling and Persons With Disabilities

Glass Ceiling ReportGlassCeilingBackground2PersonsWithDisabilities.pdf: 8336 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Event Planner Sensitivity to the Needs of Individuals with Visual Disability at Meetings and Events

Special events, such as fairs, conventions, ballgames, and concerts are typically activities people attend to participate in the festivities and enjoy with friends and family members. For individuals with disabilities, however, these types of events can create more challenges than enjoyment. Despite a thorough review of the literature, no studies were found which evaluated the experiences of individuals who are blind and have visual impairments at events and meetings. The aim of this study was to determine the current level of accessibility at meetings perceived by consumers who are blind and visually impaired. Respondents to the survey indicated many obstacles to accessing meetings including: discrimination, a paucity of accessible features, and accessibility features that are not truly accessible for consumers who are blind and visually impaired. Recommendations are provided for increasing meeting and event accessibility for consumers who are blind and visually impaired

An evaluation of constructivism for learners with ADHD: Development of a constructivist pedagogy for special needs

We examine whether constructivist eLearning tools can be used to help learners cope with special educational needs, such as difficulties with attention and concentration. Preliminary work is reported here, in which we seek to determine the reasons why a constructivist approach is difficult for learners with ADHD. This work is intended to lead to recommendations of how learners with ADHD could benefit from constructivist eLearning systems, e.g. through the managed use of multimedia technology. A preliminary model has been developed that illustrates the areas in which constructivist pedagogies need to address the limitations of ADHD learners. Further work will expand this model and eventually test it in a real environment (e.g. in a school with ADHD learners). The outcome will encourage a reconsideration of existing multimedia theories as they relate to learners with special needs, and provide new directions in order to support learners with ADHD

Whose problem? Disability narratives and available identities

In this article, the author demonstrates that contemporary cultural disability discourses offer few positive resources for people with impairments to draw upon in constructing positive personal and social identities. Examining the emergence of the Disability Arts Movement in Britain, consideration is given to alternative discourses developed by disabled people who have resisted the passive roles expected of them and developed a disability identity rooted in notions of power, respect and control. It is suggested that these alternative discourses provide an empowering rather than a disabling basis for community development and community arts practice and should be embraced by workers in these fields

Lighting the way through the home: development of early braille literacy

Emergent braille literacy is the earliest phase of language development where children, from infancy, are exposed to 'direct, repeated and meaningful interactions with braille literacy materials and events' (Rex, Koenig, Wormsley, & Baker, 1995, p.10). Activities such as shared reading of tactile books, scribbling on the braille machine, joint engagement in nursery rhymes, songs and chants help infants acquire cognitive concepts and develop physical skills to engage in braille. The process leads to the early development of literacy concepts including speaking, listening,reading and writing, as a foundation for braille literacy (Drezek, 1999)

Challenges Faced by Learners with Visual Impairments in Inclusive Setting in Trans-Nzoia County

Learners with visual impairment are a heterogeneous group with varied nature of difficulties that require adequate attention in curriculum implementation in order to achieve good academic performance when placed in regular or main stream institutions. This study investigates the challenges faced by learners with visual impairments in inclusive setting, in Trans-Nzoia County Kenya.  The study used descriptive survey design to explore the challenges that face learners with visual impairment in the County. The target population included one hundred and eighty four learners with visual impairments, twenty classroom teachers and six itinerant teachers out of whom an accessible sample population of one hundred and ten was derived. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures were employed through use of questionnaires, interviews and documentary analysis. The study found out that most learners with visual impairments performed poorly in academics due to lack of implementation of the visually impaired school which calls for a differentiated curriculum as per the laid down policy on Special Needs Education, which is attributed to social, economical and partly cultural factors. The nature of varied differences in needs of learners with visual impairments calls for more teachers in special needs education so that at least each regular school has one. Parents to learners with visual impairments and community should also be sensitized on their education. Keywords: challenges, learners with visual impairments, inclusive setting, Trans-Nzoia Count

Tolerance and social inclusion as a condition for successful rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

The academic paper is devoted to studying the features of the attitude of teachers, parents, employers towards people from different social groups in need of social inclusion and rehabilitation. A survey of 120 people (40 primary school teachers, 40 parents of healthy children, 40 employees of the State Employment Service of Ukraine) was conducted on their attitude to people in need of social-psychological and social-labour rehabilitation. The survey was conducted in 2 stages. At the first stage, it has been found out whom exactly the respondents consider to be those who require social and psychological assistance and rehabilitation. In the second stage, a modification of the method of E. S. Bogardus has been applied in order to determine social distance. Teachers and parents believe that children with disabilities need rehabilitation, involvement in an inclusive school community and increased attention. Regarding the categories with other health disorders (ADHD and dysgraphia), the viewpoint of teachers is quite unanimous ‒ they know about these students and believe that they need above average teachers’ attention. However, while parents are aware of the presence of children with ADHD, they are almost unfamiliar with children with reading and writing disorders. Children with mental disorders, autism and ADHD have the greatest problems with integration into inclusive communities. They are ready to be perceived at the maximum social distance ‒ in a special school, in a boarding school, except sporadically on the playground. For employees of the employment service, the maximum social distance was for people with mental and psychological disorders. According to experts’ viewpoints, employers do not want to hire people with these disorders