Taking Culture into Account: A Maori Perspective on Visual Impairment

Autor/inn/en	Bevan-Brown, Jill; Walker, Taingunguru
Titel	Taking Culture into Account: A Maori Perspective on Visual Impairment
Quelle	In: Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 107 (2013) 5, S.388-392 (5 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0145-482X
Schlagwörter	Indigenous Populations; Foreign Countries; Visual Impairments; Blindness; Barriers; Cultural Influences; Social Influences; Interviews; Questionnaires; Access to Education; Access to Health Care; Consciousness Raising; Adjustment (to Environment); Interpersonal Relationship; Negative Attitudes; Social Attitudes; Visually Impaired Mobility; Daily Living Skills; Reading Difficulties; Costs; New Zealand + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sinti und Roma; Ausland; Visual handicap; Sehbehinderung; Blindheit; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Sozialer Einfluss; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Fragebogen; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Bewusstseinsbildung; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Negative Fixierung; Social attidude; Soziale Einstellung; Alltagsfertigkeit; Reading difficulty; Leseschwierigkeit; Cost; Kosten; Neuseeland
Abstract	The authors open this article by noting that there is substantial research evidence showing that ethnic culture affects how disability is perceived and managed, and that taking a person's culture into account maximizes the effectiveness of the person's education. Jill Bevan-Brown and Taingunguru Walker, address this gap in knowledge by describing research that investigated the life experiences of persons who are visually impaired and Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Their study identified the general, educational, and cultural barriers faced by the participants and offered suggestions for how these barriers may be overcome. The study involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews conducted by two researchers, both of whom are Maori. All who were approached agreed to participate, resulting in a sample of 8 men and 2 women. Of the 10 participants, 2 young men were attending secondary school, 3 were aged 20-60, and 3 were aged 60 or older; 1 woman was in her 50s, and the other was aged 76. Five participants had studied or were still studying at the tertiary level. Although a formal questionnaire was used, the interviews were more in the nature of informal chats covering a wide range of topics introduced by the researchers and participants. The discussions focused on barriers that the participants faced, helpful services and strategies, and suggestions for improving education and services to Maori who are visually impaired. The interviews were approximately two hours long and were conducted in the homes of 9 participants and the workplace and home of the other participant. Five of the 10 interviews also included "whanau" (extended family members) who contributed information. Nine general barriers were identified. Raising people's awareness and understanding of visual impairment was a major theme that emerged across all areas. The discussion of cultural issues during the interviews conducted with the participants showed that they identified with their Maori heritage and felt strongly that culture needs to be taken into consideration in the education and services that are provided to people with visual impairments. The participants in this research clearly articulated their entitlement to these benefits and provided suggestions as to how the benefits could be achieved. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	American Foundation for the Blind. 11 Penn Plaza Suite 300, New York, NY 10001. Tel: 800-232-5463; Tel: 212-502-7600; e-mail: afbinfo@afb.net; Web site: http://www.afb.org/store
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10