Enablers and barriers encountered by working-age and older adults with vision impairment who pursue braille training

Abstract

Purpose

We explored the experiences of working-age and older adults with acquired vision impairment who pursued braille rehabilitation training, and the facilitators and barriers they encountered throughout this process.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews of up to 90 min in length were conducted with 14 participants from across Canada who learned braille between the ages of 33 and 67 (Mdn = 46). Transcripts were analyzed by two researchers using interpretive phenomenological analysis.

Results

A variety of personal, social and institutional factors characterize the adult braille learning experience. Among these, participants highlight the role of prior identity and experience, the impact of access to resources and the cost of materials and devices needed to maintain braille skills. Findings also emphasize invisible barriers, including the role of societal perceptions towards braille, the level of support provided by family and friends, and the influence of unconscious biases towards braille and aging held by both adult learners and those around them.

Conclusions

These findings provide important context to improve policies and practice in adult braille rehabilitation. As the prevalence of age-related vision impairment continues to increase, it will become imperative to understand the unique needs of working-age and older adults with acquired vision impairment who pursue braille.

Implications for REHABILITATION

• This study is one of the first to explore the experiences of working-age and older adults with acquired visual impairment who pursue braille rehabilitation training.

• Rehabilitation professionals must take into account prior learning and reading experiences which may shape the braille learning process.

• Family members require greater access to resources and support during the training process.

• There is a significant need for public education to address societal misconceptions about braille and blindness that can lead to a reluctance to use braille.

• Interactions with other braille users foster more empowering definitions of braille that align with the social model understanding of disability.

Keywords:

• Braille
• rehabilitation
• blindness
• vision loss
• adult learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank research assistants Camille Demers and Fatima Tangkhpanya who produced the verbatim transcripts of participant interviews.

Ethics approval

Ethics approval was obtained through the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater-Montreal (CRIR# 1311-0218), a prerequisite for recruiting participants through the Montreal-based network of vision rehabilitation centres. Additional approval was granted by Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada (formerly the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the largest Canadian provider of blindness and low vision rehabilitation services outside of Quebec) in order to facilitate the recruitment of participants residing in other provinces.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by funding from Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé [Grant No. 32305]; CNIB Ross C. Purse Doctoral Fellowship, and a MITACS Accelerate Doctoral Fellowship No. IT12662. Walter Wittich is supported by a Junior 2 chercheur boursier Carer award funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé. Enablers and barriers encountered by working-age and older adults with vision impairment who pursue braille training.