This submitted thesis deals with the exclusive education of kindergarten aged children. The main purpose of this thesis is to chart the preparedness of the kindergarteners for inclusive education of children with visual impairment in the South Bohemian Region. The subject is being processed according to theoretical and practical background of special education and related fields. The researched area of interest is judged on a basis of set conditions based on a concept of inclusive pedagogy. Analysis of the questionnaire research is bringing a view of preschool educators who have experience with the education of children with visual impairment. Examples of good practice are presented, which complement and support a view of information gained with first grade educators, who also have experience with teaching visual impaired children. Outcomes for practice are made as Activities Concepts or children with visual impairments. Concepts are created as suggestions or inspiration for kindergarten educators, where there are visually impaired children. Activities are created so they can be applied throughout the day care centre's routine, and involves the participation of all preschool children.

The thesis deals with meaningfulness of life and acceptance of an affliction by people with visual disability. The work has been divided into two parts. In the review section, the author deals with a psychological approach to meaningfulness of life, with an issue of acceptance of visual impairment, and with specifics of meaningfulness of life over the course of a lifetime. The aim of the empirical part has been to test hypotheses regarding relationship between the meaningfulness of life and the acceptance of vision impairment. Key concepts have been operationalized by scores according to both inventories; the Meaningfulness of Life Scale (MLC) (Halama, 2002, 2009), and the Acceptance of Disability Scale - Revised (ADS-R) (Linkowski, Groomes, 2007). Data obtained from a sample of persons with visual disability (N = 84) has been used to test the hypotheses. For the first time a Czech translation of the ADS-R inventory has been put to practice and the author suggests a further use of the inventory titled Škála akceptace disability. In the empirical part of the study, the author also deals with possibilities of online administration of psychological test methods for people with a visual disability. These possibilities have been verified and confirmed in practice by the author. Of all the monitored...

En France comme au Japon, le système d'éducation à destination des enfants handicapés a connu d'importantes transformations ces dernières années, avec le passage à une logique d'éducation inclusive, privilégiant la scolarisation dans les écoles ordinaires plutôt qu'en établissement spécialisé. Cependant, les établissements spécialisés n'ont pas disparu pour autant et le milieu spécialisé se reconfigure pour s'adapter aux changements. Cette thèse s'appuie sur l'idée que ces transformations correspondent à l'aboutissement d'un mouvement historique allant d'une approche catégorielle du handicap (dans laquelle les différentes catégories médicales de déficiences sont sources de spécialisation) à une approche que l'on peut qualifier, par opposition, de généraliste (dans laquelle les catégories de déficiences s'effacent pour laisser la place à une catégorie unique : celle de « besoins particuliers »). Comment les écoles spécialisées, fondées sur la logique de spécialisation catégorielle, se transforment-elles à l'heure du généralisme ? On étudie plus précisément le cas des écoles d'aveugles, emblèmes historiques de la logique de spécialisation. La démarche comparative franco-japonaise permet ainsi d'éclairer une zone d'ombre, peu étudiée, du phénomène international de passage à une éducation inclusive. En mobilisant le champ de la sociologie du travail, plus spécifiquement le concept de compétences, on explore les transformations de l'institution spécialisée vécues par ses représentants: les enseignants spécialisés. On montre ainsi, à travers la comparaison, que le travail des enseignants spécialisés dans ces écoles n'est plus fondé sur une expertise de la déficience visuelle mais sur des compétences relationnelles d'adaptation aux "besoins éducatifs particuliers" de chaque enfant, dans des conditions d'enseignement en profonde mutation, où la mise en œuvre de ces compétences se fait de plus en plus difficile. / In France as in Japan, the educational system for children with disabilities has undergone major changes for the last years, through the development of inclusive education, promoting enrollment in mainstream schools rather than special institutions. However, special schools have not disappeared; they are rather evolving so as to adapt to changes. This work is grounded on the idea that these transformations represent the completion of a historical trend shifting from a category-based approach of disability (in which different medical categories result in specialized treatments) to an approach that, as opposed to the latter, we can call generalist (in which categories of impairments fade into the unified category of “special educational needs”). How do special schools, deeply rooted in the category-based specialized approach, evolve in the days of generalism? We examine the specific case of Schools for the Blind, embodiments of the specialized approach. Through a French-Japanese comparison, we shed light on some gray areas of the international move towards inclusive education. Using the field of work sociology, especially the concept of “skills”, we explore the transformations of special institutions as experiences by their representatives: special teachers. Through comparison, we show that special teachers' work in these schools is no longer based on an expertise of visual disability but relies on the use of relational skills, especially involving adaptation to every child's “special educational needs”, in a context of radically changing teaching conditions, where it becomes growingly difficult to put those skills into practice. / 要旨 : 近年、フランスと日本における障害児教育制度は、インクルーシブ教育の理念に従って、特殊学校よりも通常学校での在学を推進することで、大きく変わってきた。しかし、特殊学校が全くなくなるわけではなく、特殊教育制度はその変化に応じるように形を変えてきた。本論文はその推移が「障害」の取り扱いの歴史的転換と符合するという公準を基本とする。「各障害の医療的な特性に応じる専門的な取り扱いが必要」という障害種別アプローチから「障害の諸カテゴリーが「特別なニーズ」という単一なカテゴリーに溶け込む」という逆の一般的なアプローチへの転換である。障害種別の専門性を踏まえていた特殊学校はその一般的なアプローチの時代にどう応じてきたか。本研究は障害種別アプローチの体現である盲学校を中心の課題とする。日仏比較により、インクルーシブ教育への歩みという国際現象のあまり検討されていない面を調査することを目的とする。そのために、職業社会学（特に、「能力」の理論）に基づき、盲学校の教員が見た特殊教育の変化を分析する。その結果、盲学校教員の仕事は今、視覚障害の専門性よりも「各生徒の個人的なニーズに応じる」対人関係能力を踏まえているということが示され、盲学校における教育条件の変化により、その対人関係能力の実現が難しくなりつつあることが指摘される。

AFRIKAANS: Gesinne wat met ’n kleuter met ’n gesiggestremdheid gekonfronteer word, het meervoudige behoeftes wat ’n holistiese benadering vereis ten einde hierdie komplekse probleem effektief aan te spreek. Geen navorsing is egter nog gedoen waar daar na die Suid-Afrikaanse ouer wat ’n kleuter met ’n gesiggestremdheid het, se behoeftes gekyk is ten einde ’n gespesialiseerde, empiries gefundeerde ouerbegeleidingsprogram te ontwikkel nie. Hierdie studie het dus ten doel gehad om ’n begeleidingsprogram vir ouers van ’n kleuter met gesiggestremdheid te ontwikkel en die effektiwiteit daarvan te evalueer. Intervensienavorsing as toegepaste navorsing is hiervoor aangewend.<p[> ’n Tweefase-navorsingsbenadering is gebruik. Tydens fase een is van ’n kwalitatiewe benadering gebruik gemaak. Die volgende navorsingsvraag is tydens hierdie fase geformuleer: Watter behoeftes het die Suid-Afrikaanse ouer van ’n kleuter met gesiggestremdheid? : ’n Fokusgroepbespreking waar fokusgroepvrae benut is, is met 10 ouerpare deurloop ten einde die betekenis en interpretasie wat hulle aan hulle leefwêreld heg, te eksploreer. Hierdie data het, aanvullend tot die omvattende literatuurstudie wat onderneem is, inligting na vore gebring wat in die ouerbegeleidingsprogram gebruik is. Antwoorde op die navorsingsvraag kon dus gevind word. Die kwantitatiewe ontwerp wat tydens fase twee gevolg is, is die enkelstelselontwerp. Die volgende navorsingshipotese is tydens hierdie fase geformuleer: : Indien die ouers van ’n kleuter met gesiggestremdheid die ouerbegeleidingsprogram deurloop, sal hulle bemagtig word met kennis ten opsigte van hulle kind se spesifieke oogtoestand, die invloed daarvan op en hulle hantering van die betrokke kind, hulle huwelik en hulle gesin: . Die maatskaplikewerk-intervensieprogram wat ontwikkel is, bestaan uit ses groepwerksessies van ongeveer 60 minute elk wat met twee groepe van 10 ouers in totaal deurloop is. ’n Selfontwerpte vraelys is voor en na afloop van die program deur al 10 ouers voltooi. Hierdie meetinstrument het bostaande hipotese bevestig. Vergelykings is getref tussen die literatuur en die empiriese gegewens. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing is na aanleiding van die studie geformuleer. ENGLISH: Families that are confronted with a toddler with a visual impairment have multiple needs that require a holistic approach in order to address this complex problem effectively. However, no research has been done yet that looks at the needs of the South African parent with a toddler with a visual impairment in order to develop a specialized, empirically grounded parental guiding programme. This study thus aimed at developing a guiding programme for parents with a toddler with a visual impairment and evaluating its effectiveness. Interventional research as applied research was utilised for this purpose. A two-phase research approach was used. During phase one a qualitative approach was used. The following research question was formulated during this phase: What are the needs of the South African parent with a toddler with a visual impairment? A focus-group discussion where focus-group questions were used was held with 10 parents in order to explore the meaning and interpretation that they attach to their daily world. These data, in addition to the wide-ranging literature study that had been undertaken, brought information to the fore that was used in the parental guiding programme. Answers to the research question could thus be found. The quantitative design that was followed during phase two was the single-system design. The following research hypothesis was formulated during this phase: If the parents of a toddler with a visual impairment follow the parental guiding programme, they will be empowered with knowledge with regard to their child’s specific eye condition, its influence on and their management of the child concerned, their marriage and their family. The social-work interventional programme that was developed consists of six group-work sessions of approximately 60 minutes each that were held for two groups of 10 parents in total. A self-designed questionnaire was completed by these 10 parents before and after the programme. This measuring instrument confirmed the above-mentioned hypothesis. Comparisons were made between literature and the empirical data. Conclusions and recommendations for future research were formulated following on this study. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Les dispositifs permettant d'agrandir les images représentent les formes les plus courantes d'aides en réadaptation visuelle. Grâce à un essor technologique considérable, les lunettes électroniques, qui fonctionnent comme des aides grossissantes électroniques (fournissant un agrandissement variable, amélioration du contraste, utilisables les mains libres), sont devenues d'avantage disponibles, efficaces et utilisées par les personnes malvoyantes. Cependant, il existe un manque de données probantes et de connaissances au regard des taux d'abandon des lunettes électroniques, des facteurs prédictifs de leur utilisation, ainsi que sur les interventions efficaces qui pourraient optimiser leur utilisation.Afin de mieux comprendre l'utilisation des lunettes électroniques au sein de la population malvoyante, une étude en trois phases a été menée à travers l’exemple des lunettes eSight dans le but de : 1) examiner et synthétiser les facteurs qui influencent l'utilisation d'aides visuelles grossissantes à l'aide d'un examen de la portée afin de guider les études ultérieures; 2) déterminer à travers une étude transversale quelles sont les variables qui prédisent un changement d’utilisation des lunettes électroniques chez leur usager; et 3) élaborer des recommandations fondées sur des données probantes concernant la faisabilité d'une intervention de téléréadaptation auprès des utilisateurs de lunettes électroniques et étudier l'impact de cette modalité sur l’utilisation de leur dispositif et leur qualité de vie.Les travaux de cette thèse contribuent à soutenir l’idée que le choix d’utiliser des aides visuelles grossissantes dépend de causes multifactorielles. Les facteurs personnels et surtout la motivation représentent des prédicteurs importants. Les difficultés de transport et le manque d’entrainement ont été identifiés comme des obstacles importants à l’utilisation des aides visuelles. D’autre part, l’amélioration de la qualité de vie favorise le maintien de l’utilisation des lunettes électroniques. Compte tenu de ces résultats, un programme de formation personnalisée par téléréadaptation a été mis au point pour répondre aux besoins spécifiques des utilisateurs, offrant une attention individualisée pour optimiser l'utilisation des lunettes électroniques. Cette thèse fournit des preuves sur la faisabilité d'administrer plusieurs sessions d’entrainement en réadaptation de basse vision via la téléréadaptation chez des utilisateurs de lunettes électroniques. Les lunettes électronique eSight améliorent la qualité de vie et la vision fonctionnelle des utilisateurs, qu’elle soit associée à la téléréadaptation ou au programme d’autoformation du fabricant. Cela indique que les instructions fournies par la téléréadaptation ou par l'autoformation proposée dans un contexte commercial sont tout aussi efficaces pour améliorer la qualité de vie et les capacités visuelles et que la téléréadaptation pourrait être offerte comme une modalité de formation allternative. Afin d’orienter les recommandations de pratiques fondées sur des données probantes en matière de téléréadaptation, et de répondre au mieux aux besoins des personnes avec une basse vision, d'autres études examinant les effets de la pratique et de l’entrainement sont nécessaires. / Magnification devices are among the most common forms of aids in low vision rehabilitation. They are intended to increase the level of independence and function during activities of daily living. Novel head-mounted display magnification devices for low vision that operate as electronic vision enhancements (providing variable magnification, contrast enhancement, hands-free use) have become more and more available, efficient and are increasingly being utilized, thanks to considerable technological development. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding abandonment rates, factors predicting abandonment of such devices, and efficient intervention characteristics that optimize their use.To better understand the use of head-mounted displays throughout the low vision population, a three-phase study has been conducted using eSight Eyewear as an example device in order to: 1) investigate and synthesize barriers and facilitators influencing the use of magnifying visual aids, using a scoping review to guide the subsequent cross-sectional and prospective studies; 2) identify which variables best predict a change in device use among current head-mounted display users, using a cross-sectional design; and 3) develop evidence-based recommendations regarding the feasibility of a telerehabilitation intervention on head-mounted display users and study the impact of this modality on their device use and quality of life.This thesis provides supporting evidence for the multifactorial decision-making process around the use of magnifying visual aids. Device users’ low motivation, transportation to rehabilitation services and insufficient training have been identified as important barriers to magnifying low vision aid use. Improving users’ quality of life helps to maintain the use of head-mounted displays. Considering these findings, a personalized training regime via telerehabilitation was developed to meet specific users’ needs, providing individualizing attention to optimize the use of head-mounted displays. This thesis provides evidence about feasibility of administering several low vision rehabilitation training sessions via telerehabilitation with head-mounted display users. eSight Eyewear, either with telerehabilitation or with the manufacturer self-training standard, improves quality of life and functional vision outcomes.This indicates that instructions provided by telerehabilitation or though the eSight self-training standard are equally successful in improving quality of life and visual abilities outcomes and that telerehabilitation could be provided as an alternative training modality. To help guide evidence-based practice recommendations for low vision telerehabilitation implementation that meet the unique needs of individuals with low vision, further studies examining benefits of practice and training are needed.

No description available.

Title: Influence of guide dog ownership on physical activity and quality of life of people with visual impairments Objectives: The main objective of the thesis was to examine differences in quality of life and volume of physical activity in persons with visual impairments who own/do not own a guide dog. Methods: It is theoretically empirical work. A quantitative form of questioning was used for the research part of this thesis. The method chosen for data collection was the standardised IPAQ questionnaire and the revised SF-36 questionnaire. The research group consisted of people with visual impairments who own/do not own guide dogs. The survey involved 15 people with visual impairments (7 women, 8 men), out of this number 8 respondents own a guide dog (5 women, 3 men) and 7 respondents do not own a guide dog (3 women, 4 men). The average age of respondents with a guide dog was - women 32 years, men 31 years. In respondents without a dog - women 32 years, males 38 years. Results: The results showed up to twice the time devoted to regular physical activity in a group of visually impaired individuals who own a guide dog, compared to individuals without a dog. Individuals with dogs were measured at 17995 MET-min/week, compared to individuals without a dog who had 5368 MET-min/week. Necessary walking...

Im Beitrag werden Anwendungen aus dem Web2.0-Bereich, die besonders geeignet sind, bestimmte Behinderungsgruppen in ihrem Kommunikationsverhalten zu unterstützen, identifiziert und klassifiziert. In Verbindung mit der Betrachtung von möglichen Barrieren in diesen Web2.0-Anwendungen kann daraus abgeleitet werden, welche Anwendungen besonders kommunikationsunterstützend für bestimmte Behinderungsgruppen wirken und welche Maßnahmen zur Steigerung der Nutzungsraten getroffen werden sollten.

Denna studie ämnar att undersöka och identifiera lämpliga designprinciper för interaktiva system med icke-visuella gränssnitt. Genom att utveckla och ta fram ett hjälpmedel för synskadade människor med hjälp av AI och datorseende, är det möjligt att identifiera och utvärdera viktiga designprinciper. Teorier har samlats in kring interaktiva system, designprinciper, AI och datorseende för att både kunna utveckla en artefakt men också förstå befintliga designprinciper för interaktiva system. Design Science Research Methodology har använts som metod för att utveckla en artefakt i form av ett hjälpmedel som känner av olika objekt i realtid. Metoden har genom en iterativ process kunnat identifiera och utvärdera olika krav för artefakten som sedan resulterat i ett designförslag. För att identifiera kraven har kvalitativ data i form av semistrukturerade användarintervjuer samlats in från fem personer med en synskada. Avslutningsvis presenteras kopplingen mellan de krav som framkommit under intervjuerna och  befintliga designprinciper för interaktiva system med grafiska användargränssnitt. Ett förslag på vidare forskning inom ämnet diskuteras också. / This study aims to examine and identify appropriate design principles for interactive systems without visual interfaces. By developing an aid for the visually impaired with the help of AI and computer vision, it is possible to identify and evaluate important design principles. Theories within interactive systems, design principles, AI and computer vision have been collected in order to develop an artifact and to understand existing design principles. Design Science Research Methodology has been used to develop an aid that can detect objects in real-time. The method has been able to identify and evaluate different requirements for the artifact through an iterative process that results in a design proposal. In order to identify the requirements, qualitative data was collected from five people with visual impairment by conducting semi-structured interviews. Finally, the connection between the requirements identified from the interviews, and the existing design principles for interactive systems with graphical user interfaces is presented. A proposal for further research within the area is also discussed.

Thesis (M. A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / This study explored the challenges of pictorial illustrations in texts faced by Students: The case of the University of Limpopo in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study seeks to contribute to the process of understanding pictorial illustrations in a teaching and learning environment, where there are VI (visually impaired) students. This study employed a qualitative research approach, and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. The respondents were ten VI students, five lecturers in the English discipline and two braillists from Reakgona Disability Centre. The selection was based on the roles they play in the learning and preparing of learning materials for VI students. The overall findings from the VI students were that pictorial illustrations are challenging when students are learning English language courses. It was established that pictorials materials exclude and confuse VI students when they are learning. Those pictorials also discourage participation of VI students, as they cannot see the pictorials. On the other hand, lecturers have challenges in explaining and describing pictorials during lessons. Again, it was discovered that when developing pictorial illustrations VI students are not taken into consideration because most content always includes pictorials. The overall findings from the braillists were that English language learning materials with pictorial illustrations are not easy to convert to braille and to enlarge for VI students. The study recommended ways to deal with pictorials in lessons and materials. For example, workshops to help lecturers to accommodate VI students in the learning environment. The study encouraged a good working relationship to assist VI students to overcome pictorial challenges in English courses. This study was intended to offer assistance in terms of the challenges experienced by V1 students with regard to pictorials illustrations in English language learning materials and courses.