Design and evaluation of real-time descriptive mediation (RTDM) for live aquarium exhibits was proposed to support the participation of visitors with and without vision loss. RTDM was developed to address learning, entertainment, restorative, and social motivations. Data was collected during a lab study with adults to get feedback about the RTDM and compare it to traditional docent presentations and audio tours. Findings show that the RTDM made it possible for participants to address their exhibit motivations and led to specific personal and social aspects of participation. A majority of participants with and without vision loss reported that the RTDM was supportive of their motivations and perceived it to be more effective at supporting learning, social, and restoration motivations compared to audio tour and docent mediation. The main contributions of this work are in: 1) developing evidence-based information design criteria for mediation at live animal exhibits; 2) demonstrating that mediation designed to support exhibit motivations can facilitate participation in adults with and without vision loss; and 3) validating participation as a design goal.

The thesis focuses on the issue of person with visual impairment in the labor market and role of employment in the process of socialization of person with visual impairment. The thesis is divided into free chapters. The first chapter is devoted to characteristics of socialization, a description of development in adolescence and adulthood and socialization of visually impaired persons. The second chapter is devoted to education and employment persons with visual disabilities. The third charter comprises research part. The reseacrh part of the thesis contains description of the qualitative approach , brief characteristics of respondents and using analysis of interviews detect problem areas in employment of persons with visual disabilities. The thesis aims to map the difficulties, which the person with visual disabilities may encounter as a job applicant and describe the difficulties, which his or her may encounter in employment. It is also examinated, what is the role of employment in social life of person with visual impairment. Diffucult areas in the employment of persons with visual disabilities according to respondents are lack of information about the possibilities of employing visually impaired persons, in some cases, play a role prejudices of employers and their unwillingness to adapt the work...

Over the past two decades, increasing attention has focused on inclusive education and how it can contribute to improved teaching and learning experiences and thus to the attainment of better learning outcomes for all learners, including those with special educational needs. Initially, attention centred on inclusion in primary and secondary schools, but increasing interest is now being shown to students with special educational needs and their inclusion in tertiary institutions of learning as well. Research on the inclusion of students with special educational needs has largely focused on either one particular group of students, such as students with a particular disability, or on students with disabilities in general, such that these findings are often either only applicable to a specific group or are too general. Not many studies have attempted to compare the experiences of students with different educational needs without being too general. This study explores issues related to the experiences of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students in relation to their inclusion in three Rwandan universities. Inclusive education as an educational policy has a very young history in Rwanda and there is insufficient empirical evidence about its implementation. This study therefore adds to the little knowledge there is about this subject. The study addressed the following questions: what are the experiences of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students in Rwandan universities in terms of educational access and social inclusion in the university environment? What are the similarities and differences between the experiences of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students? What are the underlying causes of these experiences? In what ways do these experiences, either negative or positive, influence the academic performance of these students? How do these experiences influence these students’ perspectives, expectations and hopes for the future? How do the attitudes of students and lecturers in universities with deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students concerning inclusion influence the interaction between these students and lecturers on the one hand and the deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students on the other? The study was conducted using the mixed methods research approach. Triangulation was the research design employed. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were completed by 220 students who were neither deaf/hard of hearing nor visually impaired and 55 lecturers without disabilities from three of the five Rwandan universities with deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students. Interviews were conducted with six deaf/hard of hearing students, nine visually impaired students, and three lecturers from the same universities. The study found that deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students had both positive and negative experiences in their inclusion in Rwandan universities. There were, however, major differences between the perceptions of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students concerning their inclusion in these universities. There were also differences between the deaf students and hard of hearing student about the level of their inclusion. Finally, there were significant differences between the efforts of the three universities to meet the needs of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students. This work concludes by making some recommendations for improving the inclusion of deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students in Rwandan universities, recommendations which could be useful to other higher institutions of learning as well in their efforts to include students with special educational needs.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Community and Continuing Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / This research is about establishing the needs and assets of a public adult learning centre for the visually impaired. The research is important because South Africa, as a signatory to the Salamanca Statement on Principles and Practice in Special Needs Education (UNESCO, 1994) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006 (Väyrynen, 2008), has an obligation to ensure the provision of quality education and training through inclusion. This also includes adult learners. The research emanated from the assumption that Public Adult Learning Centres for the Visually Impaired are not well equipped to provide quality education as envisaged by the Salamanca Statement and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In order to resolve this assumption, a qualitative case study with Bosele Public Adult Learning Centre (BPALC) for the Visually Impaired was designed. The research participants from this centre were purposely sampled due to the importance of their shared experiences and opinions in answering the research question. Multiple perspectives were applied in data collection by means of semi-structured and focus group interviews and documents were examined and analysed to obtain in-depth information about the research. The analysis of the participants’ shared experiences and opinions, combined with observation and data analysis, assisted in deriving at the conclusion that, although Bosele is a Public Adult Learning Centre for the visually impaired, it is still deficient in terms of the capacity to provide quality education as envisaged in the Salamanca Statement and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The learning and teaching support materials are inadequate and have not been modified for many years. The facilitators do not receive the necessary professional support and as such are inadequately prepared to provide quality education to the visually impaired adult learners. The available assets within and outside BPALC are not mapped and therefore not recognized for effective utilization. The teaching, learning and physical environment around BPALC is not conducive to the promotion of quality education for visually impaired adults. iii To respond to the findings of this research, several recommendations have been suggested and an empowerment programme has also been provided with a view to improve the quality of teaching and learning at BPALC. Suggestions for future research topics have also been made in order to close the gap that exists in research for the education of learners with visual impairment.

Graduation date: 2005

Individuals with blindness or visual impairments as a major cause of disability are at an extreme disadvantage to obtain and maintain employment and thus may seek the assistance of vocational rehabilitation counselors. Information on these individuals, encompassing demographics, disability, public support, and vocational rehabilitation services, is collected by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and becomes a part of the RSA-911 data file. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among demographics, service provisions, competitive employment, and earnings of vocational rehabilitation consumers with blindness or visual impairments. Using a sample of 3,610 cases from the RSA-911 data file from Fiscal Year 2006, logistic regression was utilized to examine the relationships among 20 consumer demographic and 14 case service variables related to competitive employment outcomes. With a sample of 2,320 cases, multiple regression was used to examine which 20 consumer demographic and 14 case service variables predicted weekly earnings at closure for those consumers with competitive employment outcomes. Results from the logistic regression indicated the most important consumer demographic predictors of competitive employment were age, gender, receipt of Medicaid, severity of vision loss, source of referral, and weekly earnings at application. Specifically, those aged 36 or younger who were self-referred, male, had lesser severity of vision loss, and did not receive Medicaid were more likely to find competitive employment. Among case service variables, receiving job-placement assistance and maintenance services were related to competitive employment; receipt of disability-related augmentative skills training and miscellaneous training had a negative impact. Multiple regression revealed that the consumer demographics of gender, higher level of education at closure, receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and weekly earnings at application were important predictors of weekly earnings at closure. Disability-related augmentative skills training was the only case service related to weekly earnings, with a negative impact. Based on these findings, males with earnings at application who did not receive disability-related augmentative skills training were most likely to reach competitive employment outcomes and to have higher earning potential at closure. Limitations of the study as well as implications for practice and future research are discussed. / text

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

The aim of the study was to establish the visually impaired students' information seeking behaviours, which comprises information needs, seeking and use. Identifying the students' information seeking behaviour helped to determine whether the services that are provided by the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the Pietermaritzburg (UKZN-PMB) campus met their information needs or not. The population of the study comprised three units of analysis which were nine students with visual impairments, seven Subject Librarians of the UKZN-PMB Cecil Renaud main library and the Disability Unit Coordinator. The students were surveyed by means of a semi-structured interview where they were asked what their information needs were, how they met those needs and whether the information they found from the institution's information system met their needs or not. The student' information seeking behaviour was plotted using Wilson's (1999) Information Behaviour model and the model was assessed for use with this group. The Subject Librarians and the DUC were surveyed by means of self-administered questionnaires where they were asked to specify their length of services, the frequency with which they assisted students with visual impairments and the students with visual impairments' preferences in information sources and formats, which the researcher consequently collected. The response rate was 100% from all the units of analysis. The results of the study indicated that most of the students preferred electronic compared to print information formats, depending on their level of sightedness for those who were partially sighted. Results from the three units of analysis were integrated into an overall consideration of the dynamics of information seeking behaviour exhibited by the students and modifications were suggested on Wilson's (1999) Information Behaviour model which suited the group under study. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a program model in which parents and adolescents examine personal values, career decisions and plans. The subjects were visually impaired students enrolled in regular secondary school and their parents. Twenty volunteer adolescents with visual impairments and their parents from 18 school districts in the province of British Columbia participated in the study. The program consisted of four Partner’s Program (Cochran, 1985) booklets: a parent guideline manual, activity self-exploration exercises, career decisions framework, and a planning workbook designed to facilitate parent involvement in career development activities. Two special career reference publications which described a variety of occupations and necessary adaptations and technical devices designed for individuals with visual impairment were also included. These materials were presented in audio tape, large print and braille. Adolescent subjects and their parents were randomly assigned to two experimental groups. Each group received materials and were given five weeks to complete the program. The Career Decision Scale (Osipow, 1976), Parent Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1982), and Career Salience Scale (Greenhaus, 1971, 1977) were employed. All participants were interviewed following the program. A multivariate analysis of variance was computed, and the combined five dependent variables were significantly affected between groups upon completion of the program by the first group. The combined dependent variables were significantly affected again with the second group upon completion of the program. Examination of effect sizes for each dependent variable attributed the differences to gains in measures of career planning and career salience and a decline in career indecision. The effects on the measures of communication were inconclusive. The results indicated that students in both experimental groups confirmed their career choices and became more aware of personal career values. The subjects felt they were encouraged to plan and prepare for a career, explore options, and consider their visual disabilities. Career planning was deemed important by all participants. The importance of work and career were confirmed for participants. Students’ attitudes improved with confirmation of plans and career alternatives. The effects of the program in career development of adolescents with visual impairments and the importance of parent-student communication were positive. The comments of the parents suggested that they had acquired understanding of their child’s career choices.