Social Participation of Individuals Living With Visual Impairments

Abstract

Date Presented 4/21/2018

A collective case study design captured the social participation and level of support available to individuals with visual impairment through the lens of occupational therapy and the theory of occupational adaptation.

Primary Author and Speaker: Julie Nastasi

Additional Authors and Speakers: Chelsea Blair, Andrew Candela, Meghan Erwin, Colleen Kelly, Samantha Kintzly, Elizabeth Masci, Liviana Sacco, Jamie Torre

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of social participation for individuals with visual impairment.

METHOD: A collective case study captured the social participation and level of support available to people with visual impairment through the lens of occupational therapy and the theory of occupational adaptation. Inclusion criteria were individuals who were registered to receive services at the Lackawanna Blind Association, who met the World Health Organization’s qualifications for visual impairment (minimum of best corrected visual acuity 20/60 in the better eye, maximum of total blindness or no light perception), who participated in a sensory development class at the Lackawanna Blind Association, and who were aged 65 or older. Four participants were recruited for the study.

An initial interview, demographic questions, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and open-ended questions were used to collect data. Two researchers observed and documented participants’ interactions and engagement during a sensory development class at the Lackawanna Blind Association. A final follow-up interview was used to confirm the codes and themes that emerged.

All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A matrix was created for all of the data collected, and open coding was used to look across all participant responses to seek development of themes on the basis of similarities or differences in responses. Axial coding was then used to refine the information and pull together concepts. Selective coding was used to finalize and determine the themes that emerged from the data. IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to analyze demographic information.

RESULTS: The following themes emerged: social participation is facilitated through family support, social participation provides motivation for engagement in occupations, social participation provides meaning in life, and loss of participation results from visual impairments.

CONCLUSION: Through the lens of occupational adaptation, this study specifically targeted social participation and support of older adults with visual impairment to gain knowledge to facilitate function in these areas. We concluded that social participation plays a large role in completing and sustaining instrumental activities of daily living and leisure. We also concluded that familial support facilitates social participation.

References

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