This thesis examines the labour market experiences of a purposive sample of
legally blind people in a medium-sized Canadian city. Relevant literature on disability,
employment and stigma is reviewed, providing context for the thesis. Thematic analysis
of qualitative data gathered from 18 in-depth face-to-face interviews of legally blind
working-age participants provide rich narratives of their experiences in the labour market
and society at large. The participants’ current and past employment situations are
described and barriers to acceptance of their disability in the workforce are identified.
Findings suggest that while perceived, enacted, and felt stigma constitute significant
barriers to meaningful employment for the participants, many employ effective strategies
to adapt to or resist stigmatizing treatment by others. Policy suggestions are provided to
mitigate the impact of stigma on the lives of legally blind Canadians. The thesis
concludes with suggestions for future directions of research in the area. / Graduate / 0629 / 0630 / 0626 / martha.jansenberger@gmail.com
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/5594 |
| Date | 25 August 2014 |
| Creators | Jansenberger, Martha |
| Contributors | Benoit, Cecilia |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/, Available to the World Wide Web |
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