The diploma thesis on the topic of Comprehensive rehabilitation of people with visual impairment gives an overview of the possibilities and importance of comprehensive rehabilitation for this target group. In the introductory part of my work I will focus on the definition of vision, visual impairment and comprehensive rehabilitation for people with visual impairment and possibilities of social services. In the final part there are interviews conducted by clients and staff of provided focused services of social rehabilitation. The aim of the thesis is to describe the psychosocial issue of a person with visual impairment and to give an overview of the possibilities and importance of comprehensive rehabilitation for this target group.

Media is considered as one of the most powerful tools in disseminating information thereby shaping people’s lives. While there have been various studies about the relationship between media and people with disabilities, much of the emphasis has been on the media’s representation of people with disabilities than accessibility of print content in formats friendly to people with visual impairments. This research is a qualitative study which looked at the accessibility of online published print media information to people with visual impairments in terms of format. This was done by analysing content in online newspapers and magazines to determine its accessibility to them. Online interviews were also conducted to find out how print media is accessible to people with visual impairments. The Uses and Gratifications and the Social Responsibility theories were selected to frame the study on how media satisfies their specific needs and desires as well as having certain social obligations to society respectively. The findings of this study were that print media was inaccessible to people with visual impairments both in terms of formats and content. There is no print media known to people with visual impairments producing information in Braille format. The electronic version of printed media proved to be inaccessible due to the lack of media adherence to the Web Accessibility Guidelines. The research also established the underrepresentation and lack of representation in some print media due to print media’s lack of interest to cover disability issues. To respond to these needs, a framework was developed to ensure that people who are visually impaired are able to access print media information. / Communication Science / D. Phil. (Communication studies)

Social media has become an inevitable part of everyday life. With the focus to a large extent being on image and video sharing, accessibility for the visually impaired is not always granted. However, new types of social platforms with live audio chats at their core have shown potential to stand out as particularly inclusive of visually impaired users. Taking a standpoint in the Technology-to-Performance Chain model, the study aimed to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users of social live audio chat platforms by identifying what influences accessibility, especially when it comes to taking part of and creating audio content. The topic was approached in the form of a case study. Qualitative data collection was conducted with a combination of observations and product assessment, expert interviews a well as user interviews. The aim was to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users. The results suggest audio-based platforms have the potential to fit the visually impaired users well. A limited scope of the platform, having voice-based communication at the core and a limited number of visual elements all influence accessibility. A sufficient amount of adjustable VoiceOver adds to the accessibility of the platform. Furthermore, the results indicate being aware of user behaviour and the inaccessibility it might lead to is of importance. Concludingly, applying a UX perspective is deemed as of importance as the results indicate it often is the intangible, subjective user perspective which can highlight what influences accessibility.

The purpose of my study was to explore the different ways in which teachers in full-service and special needs schools implement inclusive education policy with learners who are visually impaired. My study was focused on 4 schools in the Gauteng province consisting of 2 full-service schools and 2 special needs schools. The study specifically focused on the teaching strategies which teachers used with learners who are visually impaired. I relied on an interpretivist meta-theory and employed a qualitative research approach to my study. I utilised a multiple case study design and relied on multiple sources of data collection which included participatory action research (PAR) based workshops, observations, field notes, audio-visual data and a research diary to document the research process. I conducted an inductive thematic analysis on the data that was collected. The findings of the study indicated that teachers in full-service schools and special schools both adopted similar implementation strategies such as having making various adaptations to the learning materials and the actions of the teacher in being an implementer. Some of the differences were also made mention of between the full-service and special schools. Teachers did also note some of their needs and challenges in relation to resources needed such as braille machines, embossing machines and various assistive devices. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Regular education teachers are sometimes at a disadvantage when required to instruct learners with a visual impairment or other special needs in the classroom. A problem exists with reduced support and training for regular education teachers responsible for meeting literacy needs of students with visual impairment. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive case study was to explore regular education instructors' perceptions of their self-efficacy and ability to modify literature for learners with visual impairment. The research questions targeted this purpose, specifically in the areas of training opportunities and technology use. The social cognitive theory, a model emphasizing learning occurring through social contexts and observations, was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected from 1-on-1 interviews with 10 volunteer regular education teachers teaching students at the elementary level. The resulting data were analyzed via color-coding transcripts, NVivo running word-frequency queries, and manual review of each transcript. The results revealed the participants did not have training, awareness for the literacy needs of students with visual impairment, or knowledge of the different types of technology used to access and create literacy materials. Although they lacked training and current knowledge of providing literacy instruction, the participants expressed confidence in their ability to research, collaborate, and gain the knowledge needed to effectively do so. The implications for positive social change include implementation of training and/or an education cycle for more efficient instruction when serving a student with visual impairment in the local school district. Efficient instruction can facilitate an improvement in the academic performance of students with visual impairment.

Objectives: Our goal was to explore the association between vision with cognitive change scores and incident depression. Methods: A 3-year prospective cohort study was performed. Incident depression was defined using a cut-off score of 10 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Cognitive change was examined by calculating the difference between baseline and follow-up cognitive tests scores. Multivariable Poisson and linear regression were used. Results: Cataract was associated with incident depression (relative risk=1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.05, 1.37). Visual impairment was associated with the 3-year change in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) (β=-0.18, 95% CI= -0.28, -0.07), RAVLT-Delayed (β=-0.13, 95% CI= -0.25, -0.02), and Animal Naming Test (β=-0.95, 95% CI= -1.44, -0.45) scores. Glaucoma was associated with 3-year Mental Alternation Test change scores (β=-0.40, 95% CI -0.77, -0.04). Conclusions: Cataract was associated with increased depression risk. VI and glaucoma are associated with 3-year changes in cognitive test scores.

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Många av en synskadad persons förflyttningar och aktiviteter kräver planering och stöd från omgivningen för att genomföras. För detta ändamål kan insatsen ledsagning ansökas om i den kommun personen bor. Studiens syfte var att undersöka synskadades upplevelser av möjligheter och begränsningar i sin livsföring utifrån beviljade ledsagarinsatser och upplevelsen av själva behovsprövningen. Data samlades in genom hermeneutiska livsvärldsiintervjuer med 8 synskadade deltagare, materialet analyserades tematiskt och resulterade i 3 huvudteman: "Det gör att jag faktiskt kan leva", Frihetsbegränsad och Livsvärld möter myndighetsutövande. Dessa huvudteman delades upp i 3-4 underteman. Likt tidigare forskning visade resultatet på vikten av socialt stöd för välmående och livstillfredsställelse. Kommunens utredning och beslut för ledsagarinsatsen genererar stress och oro hos deltagarna samt leder till bristande tillit genom att de får beslut som ej korrelerar med uttryckta behov. Vidare forskning för förbättrad hantering av ärenden och hur myndigheten bättre kan bemöta de synskadades verkliga behov föreslås.

Mainstream video games retain players' interest with dynamic updates of graphics such as game characters, levels, themes and other game inventory items. For visually impaired players, updates in graphics for player retention are not very efficient. Video games for people with serious visual impairment rely heavily on audio. The players are presented with either frequent audio instructions or 3D audio to be able to roughly judge the state of the game. In both cases, the players could either overwhelmed by frequent audio instructions or might lose interest in the game after some time. A possible reason could be that there are limited ways to evolve these games to keep the players interested as compared to games developed for sighted players. Multiplayer functionality can potentially bring a continuous stream of challenges and competitive situations in games. The research question investigated in this thesis focuses on whether the addition of multiplayer functionality in 3D audio game will increase the level of player interest. The hypothesis was evaluated by performing an experiment. The results of the study showed that multiplayer functionality can significantly increase the level of player interest and enjoyment in 3D audio based game for people with serious visual impairment.

Visual impairment/blindness is not often discussed in a media space, and the community is often left out and forgotten otherwise in the course of history. Through documentary filmmaking, Consider the View (La Vue) provides an artistic exploration of blindness by using the camera as optical power and other forms of art. Viewers experience a new perspective of what it means to be visually impaired.