Experiences of Students with Visual Impairment at University level: a Participatory Action Research

Author(s) : Tauseef Ahmad, Dr. Zahida Parveen, Dr. Amna Arif

Abstract:

This was a participatory action research. This research was intended to know the views of the visually impaired students who were studying at university level about the facilities they have in their universities. A focus group discussion among visually impaired university graduates was conducted to know about the issues faced by the visually impaired students. In the light of literature review and focused group discussion, a questionnaire was developed. The visually impaired students from various universities and from different educational levels were asked to fill the questionnaires. The data was collected through Google forms and telephonic conversations. After data collection the data was analyzed and interpreted. On the basis of findings and data interpretation an interview was designed. In order to validate the research findings, the interviews of visually impaired university graduates were conducted. On the basis of this triangulated data the research found that students with visual impairments were mostly not satisfied with the services they had in their universities. However, there were some positive prospects like provision of academic fee waiver, provision of extra time for taking exams and close peer group cooperation.