public awareness of visually impaired persons communication skills, Psychology, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Psychology

public awareness of visually impaired persons communication skills

public awareness of visually impaired persons communication skills PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Psychology 4443 V. SUMMARY OF THE INVESTIGATION, MAJOR FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS It has been observed by the researcher that in public settings often the reaction to a visually impaired person is quite different then to that of a sighted person. Society seems to have a predisposed perception of the communication abilities of visually impaired people. This study hopes to establish a correlation between the perception that visually impaired people are also speech impaired when they are in a setting where they are accompanied by another person. The purpose of this study is to show the limitations of how people deal with visually impaired individuals on a day to day basis. Often people will perceive visually impaired people as hearing and speech impaired as well. It is often degrading to visually impaired individuals when they are not spoken to directly by another person. This can lead to low self-esteem and frustration for the visually impaired person. It is hypothesized that the general public perceives visually impaired people as being unable to communicate verbally when they are not alone. The sample for this study will be the general population in and around Hempstead and Prairie View Texas. For the purpose for this study, the following definitions will be used: Visually impaired – unable to see Speech impaired – unable to speak Hearing impaired – unable to hear This research study is comprised of five chapters containing the following information. Chapter one presents the Introduction. It also contains the statement of the problem and its significance, the hypothesis to be tested, the delimitation of the study, the definition of terms important to this study, and concludes with an overview of the chapters contained. Chapter two will present an in-depth explanation of related literature and research. It will include existing literature and research already completed on the problem and the findings. Chapter three will describe the research procedure, population selection and characteristics, size of the sample, the instrument used, and the treatment of data. Chapter four is the analysis of the data, the interpretation of the data, and its application. Chapter five will include conclusions drawn from the data and its analysis. Also, any conclusions or recommendations to aid future research. Review of Related Literature, Research Visually impaired individuals face unique challenges in their everyday life. They are often looked upon as “less than normal.” Attitudes have been maintained over time by negative connotations about these person’s communication abilities. Orientation and mobility challenges are commonplace and are a main concern with blind persons. Thrown into this mix of challenges are the negative reinforcement visually impaired persons receive from the general public. When the visually impaired deal with the public on a day to day basis they are often viewed as unable to think or act normal. They are also viewed as unable to communicate without anothers’ help. Very few studies have been conducted which address this issue. However, T. Aston (1990) found “the lack of self- esteem suffered by the visually impaired is very real in a public setting” . It is also reported that ”subjects improved in independent functioning, self-image, and self-esteem” after certain evaluations from specialists (Elliott, & Kuyk, 1994). This would tend to support the idea that positive reinforcement leads to higher self-esteem. There are many programs available for the visually impaired to assist in their integration into society after losing their vision. Some of these programs are helpful in teaching the skills necessary for the blind individual to increase his awareness of the public’s attitude toward his condition. Some are geared toward the mobility issue only. The most successful programs are those that target both of the aforementioned challenges. Farish (1994) found that “subjects made significant gains in both capacity and mode of performance in all of the skill areas” . These gains were experienced after completing an independent living services program. It is difficult to find a single research study that covers the problem associated with the recognition that a blind person can communicate verbally when he or she is with another person. The focus of the research in this paper will be to isolate this subject and report whether people see a blind person as being able to communicate verbally as well. Visually impaired individuals face many challenges in their daily lives. One significant problem they must overcome is the belief that they somehow are unable to communicate effectively in a public setting. This chapter will discuss the procedure for this study, the population, sample size, the instrument the researcher will use to collect the data and how the data will be analyzed. The procedure followed to conduct this study will be simple field observation. The visually impaired person will be accompanied by a sighted individual and observation of how the visually impaired person is communicated with will be recorded. The sample for this study will be the general population in and around Hempstead and Prairie View, Texas. The sample size will consist of ten members of the population sample as defined, selected at random The instrument used for data accumulation will be field observation. Field observation will be conducted by a visually impaired individual and a sighted person. The data will be analyzed by the researcher using statistical correlation. Aston T. (1990). Empowering visually impaired people to access their environment. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,45, 247-249. Crudden, Adele & McBrown ,Lynn W.(1999). Barriers to employment: a survey of employed persons who are visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,91, 190-195. Elliott, J.L. & Kuyk,T.K. (1994). Self-reported functional and psychosocial outcomes of blind rehabilitation. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,68, 206-212. Farish, J. & Wen,S.S. (1994). Effectiveness of an independent living services program for older persons who are blind. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,69, 525-531. Kleinschmidt ,Julia J. (1999). Older adults’ perspectives on their successful adjustment to vision loss. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,90, 182-190. This chapter gives a graphic picture of data obtained from field observations. The data obtained was the response the sample population gave when the visual impaired person and the sighted person were met for the first time. Only two responses were noted. Response A was a direct verbal communication to the blind person first. Response B was a direct communication to the sighted person first. Based on the fact that 70% of the population sample gave a response directly to the sighted person (response B), it is found that the hypothesis of this study is accepted. Summary of the Investigation, Major Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations This research study has attempted to discover if the general public perceives blind people as being unable to communicate verbally. Major Findings According to the data, 30% of the sample responded directly to the visual impaired person indicating that they perceived that verbal communication was possible. However, 70% of the respondents (as shown by response B) believed that verbal communication was impossible with the visually impaired individual. In conclusion, the study seemed to support the hypothesis as tested. Obviously, many other significant variables would come into play if this research was conducted on a more extensive basis. Eye contact by the sighted person with the sample individual is just one example. Another example would be the different situations where the person would be confronted ie. Social, academic, or business setting. Some recommendations for an improvement or at least a different approach to this subject would be as follows: Factoring additional variables into the analysis Including a questionaire or survey Using statistical correlation analysis Society has an obligation to treat the visually impaired with the same respect that sighted people receive. It is clear from the results of this study that the visually impaired have not yet reached the level of respect they deserve. Race Gender Age Response A Response B Bibliography: Bibliography Aston T. (1990). Empowering visually impaired people to access their environment. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,45, 247-249. Crudden, Adele & McBrown ,Lynn W.(1999). Barriers to employment: a survey of employed persons who are visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,91, 190-195. Elliott, J.L. & Kuyk,T.K. (1994). Self-reported functional and psychosocial outcomes of blind rehabilitation. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,68, 206-212. Farish, J. & Wen,S.S. (1994). Effectiveness of an independent living services program for older persons who are blind. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,69, 525-531. Kleinschmidt ,Julia J. (1999). Older adults’ perspectives on their successful adjustment to vision loss. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness,90, 182-190.

Word Count: 1516