Low vision impacts on Quality of Life (QoL). Thus, low vision services are essential to enhance the QoL of people with functional low vision. However, of the estimated 70 out of the 124 million people with low vision who require services, approximately 5-10% has access to services. The demands for low vision services will continue to grow due to the emerging global trends in ageing populations and changes in the epidemiology of vision impairment. While critical data and information are available for other forms of vision impairment, there is a paucity of information on the distribution, needs, and priorities for improving low vision service delivery at the national, regional, and global levels. / This thesis addressed the problem by first developing and distributing a survey to Vision 2020 contacts, government, and non government organisations in 195 countries during 2006-2008 to assess the current situation of low vision services globally. The survey was first pilot tested leading to improvements in the length, layout, and content of its form. Specifically, the survey topics included: epidemiology, policies, human resources, service provision, barriers, equipment, and monitoring and evaluation. / The Classification Analysis and Regression Tree (CART), logistic regression methodology and grounded theory analysis were used to present the findings and identify the critical success factors of low vision service coverage. The qualitative component consisted of case studies in three countries (India, Ghana, and Cameroon) during November 2007 and 2008. A total of 101 interviews were carried out. The case studies provided an overview and historical perspective of services, effectiveness, cost, efficiency, acceptability, access, equity, sustainability, and ideal situations as recommended by interviewees. Qualitative findings from the case studies were produced with the assistance of the NVivo software. / The primary results are that the majority (80%) of countries have poor (≤10%) coverage. Key issues pertinent to the current situation of service coverage are: human resources (number and combination of disciplines), funding (sustainability and arrangements), type of services provided (comprehensive and multidisciplinary) and its locations (NGOs or government facilities), and the sociodemographic and economic barriers (costs, awareness, and rural areas) to accessing services. / The critical success factors found in this research are represented by the ‘FRAME’: Funding (sustainable source, public and private mix), Rehabilitation workers (e.g., adequate numbers of multidisciplinary personnel), Access to low vision devices, Multidisciplinary services; and External contextual influences in which low vision services operate in. The case studies identified seven major themes that further build on the FRAME: sustainability, governance, advocacy, human resources, access, awareness, and service delivery. / The conclusion of the thesis is that a global picture of the current situation of low vision services was acquired and it is now known which countries have poor (≤10%) and better (>10%) coverage. It also found the critical success factors that will assist the WHO Low Vision Working Group and Vision 2020 to improve the current models of service delivery, future planning, training curriculum development, and priorities setting. Specifically, these need to be achieved through three areas of action: human resources development, sustainability, and advocacy.

Low vision impacts on Quality of Life (QoL). Thus, low vision services are essential to enhance the QoL of people with functional low vision. However, of the estimated 70 out of the 124 million people with low vision who require services, approximately 5-10% has access to services. The demands for low vision services will continue to grow due to the emerging global trends in ageing populations and changes in the epidemiology of vision impairment. While critical data and information are available for other forms of vision impairment, there is a paucity of information on the distribution, needs, and priorities for improving low vision service delivery at the national, regional, and global levels. / This thesis addressed the problem by first developing and distributing a survey to Vision 2020 contacts, government, and non government organisations in 195 countries during 2006-2008 to assess the current situation of low vision services globally. The survey was first pilot tested leading to improvements in the length, layout, and content of its form. Specifically, the survey topics included: epidemiology, policies, human resources, service provision, barriers, equipment, and monitoring and evaluation. / The Classification Analysis and Regression Tree (CART), logistic regression methodology and grounded theory analysis were used to present the findings and identify the critical success factors of low vision service coverage. The qualitative component consisted of case studies in three countries (India, Ghana, and Cameroon) during November 2007 and 2008. A total of 101 interviews were carried out. The case studies provided an overview and historical perspective of services, effectiveness, cost, efficiency, acceptability, access, equity, sustainability, and ideal situations as recommended by interviewees. Qualitative findings from the case studies were produced with the assistance of the NVivo software. / The primary results are that the majority (80%) of countries have poor (≤10%) coverage. Key issues pertinent to the current situation of service coverage are: human resources (number and combination of disciplines), funding (sustainability and arrangements), type of services provided (comprehensive and multidisciplinary) and its locations (NGOs or government facilities), and the sociodemographic and economic barriers (costs, awareness, and rural areas) to accessing services. / The critical success factors found in this research are represented by the ‘FRAME’: Funding (sustainable source, public and private mix), Rehabilitation workers (e.g., adequate numbers of multidisciplinary personnel), Access to low vision devices, Multidisciplinary services; and External contextual influences in which low vision services operate in. The case studies identified seven major themes that further build on the FRAME: sustainability, governance, advocacy, human resources, access, awareness, and service delivery. / The conclusion of the thesis is that a global picture of the current situation of low vision services was acquired and it is now known which countries have poor (≤10%) and better (>10%) coverage. It also found the critical success factors that will assist the WHO Low Vision Working Group and Vision 2020 to improve the current models of service delivery, future planning, training curriculum development, and priorities setting. Specifically, these need to be achieved through three areas of action: human resources development, sustainability, and advocacy.

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of self-reported visual and neck/shoulder complaints among individuals with a low vision diagnosis. The study also aimed to examine whether there was an association between the degree of self-rated visual and the neck/shoulder complaints. There was a questionnaire survey that was conducted on patients that visits an eye center in a county in central Sweden. There were a total of 18 people participated in the survey, between 17-92 years old. The questionnaire contained 22 questions and was analyzed with SPSS. The results showed how the distributions of answers were to the questions about the respondents’ vision respectively of respondents’ musculoskeletal problems. Results also showed that there was an association between the degree of self- rated visual difficulties and the degree of self- rated neck/shoulder disorder. The results in this study support the hypothesis that a relationship exists between visual and musculoskeletal problems. / Syftet med denna studie varatt beskriva förekomsten av självskattade syn och nacke/skuldra besvär hospersoner med ögonsjukdomar. Studien syftade också till att undersöka om det fannsett samband mellan graden av självskattade synbesvär och självskattade besvär inacke/skuldra. Enkätundersökning genomfördes på patienter som besökte ensyncentral i ett län i mellersta Sverige. Totalt 18 personer deltog iundersökningen, inom ålderskategorin 17-92 år gamla. Enkäten innehöll 22 frågorinklusive bakgrundsfrågor om kön och livsfaktorer som sedan analyserades medhjälp av databasen SPSS. Resultaten visade hur fördelningarna av svaren påfrågorna om respondenternas syn respektive muskuloskeletala problem. Resultatetvisade också att det fanns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan graden avsjälvbeskattade synbesvär och graden av självbeskattade nacke/skuldra besvär.Resultaten ger stöd för hypotesen att det finns en relation mellan öga-nacke/skuldrabesvär hos synsvaga individer.

Background: Social exclusion of people with vision impairments is an ongoing issue. Since social inclusion emphasizes social and emotional aspects as distinct from academic ones and the aspects concerning opportunities, the focus is turned on the domain of social interactions and friendships. Adolescence is the time point when youth feels mostly the need to ‘fit in’ in social circles and groups and the social life and friendships are important aspects of young people’s well-being and development. Aim: The aim of this study is to review the existing literature on the social interactions and friendships of adolescents with visual impairments from their own perspective and investigate the interventions designed to improve their social interactions and friendships. Method: A literature search on the databases of ERIC, CINAHL and PsycINFO and a hand search on the reference lists of the relevant articles was conducted. The search was limited to recent peer reviewed studies published in English, reporting perspectives of adolescents (13-18 years old) with visual impairments on their social interactions and friendships and intervention studies aimed to support them in the aforementioned domain. Results: In the 18 included studies, adolescents with vision impairments engaged more in passive activities that were not highly interactive. They reported being satisfied with their networks and friends, however contradictions existed in the perceived quality of friendships and the feeling of loneliness. The context of school was presented often as problematic compared to other contexts, and friendships in schools were rare. According to adolescents’ voices, friendships helped to cope with the impairment, friends had a meaningful role in their life and they made school life more enjoyable. In comparison to their sighted peers, adolescents with vision impairments had smaller networks and less friends with whom they had different type of relationships. Lastly even though several barriers and facilitators were identified, which belong to domains of Body functions and structures and Physical, Attitudinal and Social environment, there was a lack of interventions aiming to support the social interactions and friendships of adolescents with vision impairments. Conclusions: Considering the importance of social interactions and friendships in adolescents’ life for them to learn, develop and enjoy, more interventions with social focus need to be designed in respect to the challenges that exist. A plethora of barriers and facilitators impacting the social interactions and friendships of adolescents with vision impairments were identified that need to be taken into consideration for future research and interventions since the existing literature provided so far is limited. Adolescents need to be engaged in this process so that their interests, preferences and their views are prioritized.

Não raro, situações difíceis de se lidar na Educação são presenciadas no cotidiano escolar, como a questão da inclusão de alunos com deficiência na escola regular, que, muitas vezes, não tem estrutura física adequada, nem pessoal qualificado para trabalhar com esses alunos e proporcionar-lhes o desenvolvimento e a aprendizagem esperados. Por conhecer a importância que a visão tem no processo escolar e na vida sócio-cultural da criança, e por saber que a Deficiência Visual (DV) atinge boa parte da população brasileira, optou-se, nesta pesquisa, por estudar crianças com graves limitações visuais matriculadas em escolas regulares. Assim, objetiva-se verificar como a comunidade escolar percebe a criança com DV; como é a percepção da própria criança com DV em relação à sua participação na escola regular e quais os procedimentos adotados pelas escolas para trabalhar com alunos com essas características. Para tal, fez-se necessário o estudo de caso, utilizando-se, como instrumentos, a observação e a análise documental de três crianças uma menina e dois meninos entre 6 e 8 anos de idade, com baixa visão congênita, que frequentavam diferentes escolas regulares de Ensino Infantil e Fundamental do Município de Juiz de Fora, MG, além de uma entrevista semiestruturada com as crianças e suas comunidades escolares. O estudo pautou-se por uma abordagem qualitativa de pesquisa, cujos resultados apontaram para uma escassez de conhecimento por parte dos profissionais que atuavam nas escolas observadas, tanto sobre a DV quanto a respeito dos casos específicos das crianças pesquisadas. Além disso, constatouse que a baixa visão não é vista por muitas pessoas como DV, sendo menos conhecida do que a cegueira, e, talvez, por isso, alguns indivíduos a consideram como sendo menos grave do que a ausência total de visão. Em relação à percepção das comunidades escolares no que tange a seus alunos com baixa visão, de um modo geral, as três crianças eram percebidas como alunos normais e iguais aos outros, apesar de ainda não estarem totalmente incluídos nas escolas. Os métodos e as adaptações disponibilizados nas aulas eram insuficientes para lhes permitirem atingir seu potencial cognitivo e motor, apesar de terem ocorrido desenvolvimentos e avanços. Para os próprios alunos observados, a baixa visão era um detalhe ou mais uma de suas várias características, o que permite que eles se percebam crianças como as outras que têm diferenças comuns a todos os indivíduos, não se sentindo diferentes ou discriminados em razão da DV. Com a realização e o término desta pesquisa, percebe-se que a teoria inclusiva ainda está distante da prática e do cotidiano escolar. Argumentos são apresentados na tentativa de encobrir as falhas, e as responsabilidades comumente são lançadas para outras pessoas. Entretanto, um sistema educacional será verdadeiramente produtivo se todas as suas partes se conscientizarem de suas funções, combinando suas responsabilidades e almejando, sempre, o melhor para os educandos. / Not rarely difficult situations to deal with concerning Education are seen in the school enviroment, like including disabled pupils in regular schools, which, normally, don\'t have suitable structures or qualified professionals to work with those ones and also to provide them with the expected development and teaching. Being aware of the importance of vision in the school process and in the children\'s social and cultural lives as well as the fact that Visual Disability (VD) is a reality for part of the Brazilian people, this research is aimed to study children with serious visual limitations registered in regular schools. Being so, the main aim is to verify how the school community see the children with VD, how disabled children see themselves and their participation in the regular school and what procedures are adopted by schools to cope with children with the characteristic mentioned beforehand. To make it possible it\'s necessary a case study having as tools the observation and documental analysis of three children - a girl and two boys between 6 and 8 years old with low congenit vision who attended different regular primary and elementary school in Juiz de Fora, MG, besides an interview semi-structured with children and their school communities. The study follows a qualitative approach whose results point to a lack of knowledge from professionals who worked in the schools researched, both about VD and the specific case of the three children observed. Besides that, it was noted that low vision is not taken as VD, being less known than blindness and may be, because of that, some people consider it less serious than total visual absence. In relation to the perception of school communities about children with low vision, in general, the three children were taken as normal pupils and exactly like the others, although they weren\'t totally included in the schools. The methods and adaptations avaiable in the classes weren\'t enough to permit them to reach their cognitive and motor potencial, however, there was development and improvement. For the observed children, low vision was one more detail or one of their many characteristics, what made them see themselves as the other children who have differences like everybody individually, not feeling different or discriminated for being visual disabled. During the process and ending this research, it was noticed that the inclusive theory is far from practice in the school routine. Points are made to try to cover fails as well as responsabilities are given to other people. However, an educational system will be truly productive if all the parts are conscious of their functions, matching responsabilities and hoping for the best for the pupils.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:19:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angelica Aparecida de Oliveira Bicalho.pdf: 2182488 bytes, checksum: b4cdc8123c053def10bb8bd82a5f4f0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-14 / One of the characteristics of contemporary society is the validation of the functions and attributes of image: looking, viewing and seeing can be considered as a hyper-cognization of vision. To move from the behavior of those who are able to see and those who are blind can mean much more than the contrasts between seeing and not seeing, between light and dark, or other antinomies. Anthropological studies based only on what is explicit, what is visible, and what can be observed are able to exacerbate differences and be represented as poor guides of what people do, know, or think. However, blind individuals have been the object of systematic studies, as carriers of special needs or in the condition of a minority to be included. Although the term carriers of special needs is a traditionally accepted way to refer to a social group, without the label of handicap , it is not self-clarifying, for, if considered individually, everyone presents specific, special needs. The eyes, blindness and vision were analyzed under the perspective of science and mythology. The aim of this work is to enter the sea of blindness without stereotypes, that is, to attempt to understand the invisible and lacunary universe of thought in which the blind person is located and the sensitive and relatively continuous world the visible world represented by the screen. For this work, we have analyzed two movies: Blindness and Red Like the Sky and the documentary Janela da alma [Window of the Soul]. University students from the São Gabriel campus, from PUC Minas, were census-like surveyed in order to identify those blind and carrier of low vision, who presented their perspective in relation to the seventh art / A sociedade contemporânea tem como uma de suas características a valorização das funções e atributos da imagem: o olhar, a visão e o enxergar, podem ser considerados como uma hiper-cognização da visão. Transitar entre o comportamento das pessoas que enxergam e o das cegas pode significar muito além dos contrastes entre ver e não ver, entre claro e escuro, ou outras antinomias. Estudos antropológicos baseados apenas no que é explícito, no que é visível, e no que pode ser observado podem exacerbar diferenças e se configurar como guias pobres sobre o que as pessoas fazem, sabem ou pensam. A pessoa cega tem sido objeto de estudos sistemáticos, porém, como portadora de necessidades especiais ou na sua condição de minoria a ser incluída. Embora a terminologia portadores de necessidades especiais seja uma forma tradicionalmente aceita para se referenciar a um grupo social sem a pecha de deficiente, ela não é auto-esclarecedora, pois se consideradas individualmente, todas as pessoas apresentam necessidades específicas, especiais. Penetrar no mar da cegueira sem estereótipos é a proposta deste trabalho: tentar entender o universo do pensamento invisível e lacunar no qual a pessoa cega se situa e o mundo sensível e relativamente contínuo o mundo visível representado pela tela. Os olhos, a cegueira e a visão foram analisados sob a perspectiva da ciência e da mitologia. Foram analisadas as películas Ensaio sobre a cegueira, Vermelho como o céu e o documentário Janela da alma. Foram entrevistados de forma censitária os alunos da Unidade São Gabriel, da PUC Minas para levantar a identificação dos universitários cegos e portadores de baixa visão, que apresentaram sua perspectiva em relação à sétima arte

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:52:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angelica Aparecida de Oliveira Bicalho.pdf: 2182488 bytes, checksum: b4cdc8123c053def10bb8bd82a5f4f0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-14 / One of the characteristics of contemporary society is the validation of the functions and attributes of image: looking, viewing and seeing can be considered as a hyper-cognization of vision. To move from the behavior of those who are able to see and those who are blind can mean much more than the contrasts between seeing and not seeing, between light and dark, or other antinomies. Anthropological studies based only on what is explicit, what is visible, and what can be observed are able to exacerbate differences and be represented as poor guides of what people do, know, or think. However, blind individuals have been the object of systematic studies, as carriers of special needs or in the condition of a minority to be included. Although the term carriers of special needs is a traditionally accepted way to refer to a social group, without the label of handicap , it is not self-clarifying, for, if considered individually, everyone presents specific, special needs. The eyes, blindness and vision were analyzed under the perspective of science and mythology. The aim of this work is to enter the sea of blindness without stereotypes, that is, to attempt to understand the invisible and lacunary universe of thought in which the blind person is located and the sensitive and relatively continuous world the visible world represented by the screen. For this work, we have analyzed two movies: Blindness and Red Like the Sky and the documentary Janela da alma [Window of the Soul]. University students from the São Gabriel campus, from PUC Minas, were census-like surveyed in order to identify those blind and carrier of low vision, who presented their perspective in relation to the seventh art / A sociedade contemporânea tem como uma de suas características a valorização das funções e atributos da imagem: o olhar, a visão e o enxergar, podem ser considerados como uma hiper-cognização da visão. Transitar entre o comportamento das pessoas que enxergam e o das cegas pode significar muito além dos contrastes entre ver e não ver, entre claro e escuro, ou outras antinomias. Estudos antropológicos baseados apenas no que é explícito, no que é visível, e no que pode ser observado podem exacerbar diferenças e se configurar como guias pobres sobre o que as pessoas fazem, sabem ou pensam. A pessoa cega tem sido objeto de estudos sistemáticos, porém, como portadora de necessidades especiais ou na sua condição de minoria a ser incluída. Embora a terminologia portadores de necessidades especiais seja uma forma tradicionalmente aceita para se referenciar a um grupo social sem a pecha de deficiente, ela não é auto-esclarecedora, pois se consideradas individualmente, todas as pessoas apresentam necessidades específicas, especiais. Penetrar no mar da cegueira sem estereótipos é a proposta deste trabalho: tentar entender o universo do pensamento invisível e lacunar no qual a pessoa cega se situa e o mundo sensível e relativamente contínuo o mundo visível representado pela tela. Os olhos, a cegueira e a visão foram analisados sob a perspectiva da ciência e da mitologia. Foram analisadas as películas Ensaio sobre a cegueira, Vermelho como o céu e o documentário Janela da alma. Foram entrevistados de forma censitária os alunos da Unidade São Gabriel, da PUC Minas para levantar a identificação dos universitários cegos e portadores de baixa visão, que apresentaram sua perspectiva em relação à sétima arte

Orientador: Cassia Leticia Carrara Domiciano / Banca: Fausto Orsi Medola / Banca: Deborah Viviane Ferrari / Resumo: Essa dissertação de mestrado apresenta uma investigação com foco no Design Gráfico Inclusivo aplicado à área da Educação. Propõe uma revisão bibliográfica em áreas como o design gráfico, design inclusivo, design educacional, necessidades educacionais especiais, educação especial, tecnologias assistivas, inclusão digital e acessibilidade web, além de reflexões a respeito do desenvolvimento de materiais digitais acessíveis, que possam atender também às crianças com necessidades específicas de aprendizagem. Objetiva analisar, comparar e gerar diretrizes e parâmetros projetuais em design gráfico para o desenvolvimento de objetos de aprendizagem digitais que sejam acessíveis ao público infantil, contemplando tanto crianças normotípicas, como aquelas com necessidades educacionais especiais, como dislexia, cegueira, baixa-visão, daltonismo, surdez e baixa-audição, visando inovar os métodos de ensino-aprendizagem para esse público. Elenca, compara e analisa recomendações de acessibilidade relacionados à identidade gráfica de um ambiente digital (tipografia, cores, mídias, elementos interativos e de acessibilidade web), provindos de pesquisas teóricas e dos órgãos de fomento a acessibilidade: WCAG (2014) e E-MAG (2014), de caráter exploratório descritivo e empírico. Pretende ainda, por meio de pesquisa de campo, com a aplicação de um objeto de aprendizagem digital inclusivo a uma amostra de conveniência de nove usuários e auxílio da tecnologia de eye-tracking, colocar à prova recomend... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This dissertation presents an investigation focusing on the Inclusive Graphic Design applied to the area of Education. It proposes a bibliographic review in areas such as graphic design, inclusive design, educational design, special educational needs, special education, assistive technologies, digital inclusion and web accessibility, as well as reflections on the development of accessible digital materials that can atend children with specific learning needs. It aims to analyze, compare and generate design guidelines and parameters in graphic design for the development of digital learning objects that are accessible to children, contemplating both normotypic children and those with special educational needs such as dyslexia, blindness, low vision, color blindness, deafness and low-hearing, aiming to innovate teaching-learning methods for this audience. Lists, compares and analyzes accessibility recommendations related to the graphic identity of a digital environment (typography, colors, media, interactive elements and web accessibility), coming from theoretical research and from the agencies promoting accessibility: WCAG (2014) and E-MAG (2014), with a descriptive and empirical exploratory character. It also intends, through field research, to apply an inclusive digital learning object to a convenience sample of nine users and aid in eye-tracking technology, to test design recommendations for the development of digital materials, which children with or without special educati... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Background and Purpose: Dance has demonstrated beneficial effects on mobility in older individuals with movement disorders; yet, effects of partnered dance remain unexamined in individuals with chronic stroke. The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of adapted tango classes on balance, mobility, gait, endurance, dual-task ability, quality of life (QOL), and enjoyment in an older individual with chronic stroke and visual impairment. Case Description: D.L. was a 73-year-old African American man, 13 years poststroke with spastic hemiplegia, visual impairment, and multiple comorbidities. Intervention: D.L. attended 20 1?-hour tango classes adapted for older individuals with sensory and motor impairments over 11 weeks. Outcomes: Measures of balance, mobility, gait, endurance, dual-task ability, and QOL were evaluated before and after the intervention and at 1-month follow-up. D.L. improved on the Berg Balance Scale, 30-s chair stand, Timed Up and Go (single, manual, and cognitive conditions), 6-Minute Walk Test, and backward gait speed. Not all measures improved: balance confidence decreased, and there was no change in forward and fast gait speed or QOL, as measured by the Short Form-12 and the Visual Function Questionnaire–25. Some gains were maintained at one-month follow-up. D.L. reported enjoying the classes, noted improvement in physical well-being, and wanted to continue the program. Discussion: Thirty hours of adapted tango lessons improved balance, mobility, endurance, and dual-task ability in a participant with chronic stroke. The participant enjoyed the classes, was adherent, and wished to continue. This is the first reported use of adapted tango dance as rehabilitation for an individual with chronic stroke and low vision.

Thesis (M. OPT.) -- University of Limpopo, 2001 / Refer to document