Abstract
In our editorial twelve months ago we speculated on the impact that the proposed deep cuts to public sector services and the likely reductions in income for charities might have on services for people with visual impairment. We highlighted the importance of data driven academic research in helping providers to maximize the impact of their services in these times of global economic uncertainty. We also noted a sense of nervousness in the UK government about its new commitment to measuring the well-being of its citizens in such trying times.
A year later there appears to be little prospect of a swift global economic recovery and the well-being of the most vulnerable in society still remains a concern to many. We make no apologies for revisiting this theme, and in this edition we have two research articles based on large UK data sets that directly address aspects of the well-being of people with visual impairment. Having the correct data is clearly important for informing policy, but it is debate and discourse ultimately that help to determine policy decisions. To this end we are pleased to also include in this edition a Comment piece by Lorna Marquès-Brocksopp of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the UK. Lorna identifies an important shift of focus in the UK public health discourse from broad measures of economic welfare to more subjective experiences of life satisfaction and, in her thoughtful article, examines how this development is impacting on debates around services for people with visual impairment.
In the first research article Graeme Douglas, Sue Pavey and Christine Corcoran of the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) at the University of Birmingham, School of Education and Ben Clements of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester, report how they used the World Health Organization ‘International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health’ (ICF) (WHO, 2001) as a framework for collecting data about the mobility and travel behaviour of people with a visual impairment. They draw upon data collected from interviews with almost 1000 participants who identified a range of barriers and enablers to greater mobility. Responses ranged from individually-based explanations (e.g. difficulties with their eyesight) to explanations that were more socially-based (e.g. inadequate public transport systems). Interestingly, through use of logistic regression analysis, the research team demonstrate that the participants who were focused predominantly upon individually-based barriers were those who had more severe visual impairment, worried most about their vision, and had most recently lost their sight. They conclude that professionals and family must be cautious not to inadvertently reinforce visually impaired people’s perceptions that barriers have an individual origin and worsen the associated sense of helplessness that this focus might bring, particularly in the early stages of sight loss. The innovative application of the ICF model to survey-based research is an important methodological development in the context of changing discourses around disability, in that it allows participants to identify issues important to themselves, while still generating findings which can be statistically generalized.
The second research article by Anna Zimdars (King’s College London), Edlira Gjonça (University College London) and James Nazroo (University of Manchester), is also concerned with aspects of the quality of life of people, this time in relation to people with self-reported visual impairment. The research team present a secondary analysis of data produced in an English study of ageing to explore in detail the circumstances of older people’s daily lives, taking in aspects such as their physical health, social engagement, economic and housing conditions and the extent of their emotional well-being and life-satisfaction. The analysis found a clear association between self-reported poor vision and multiple disadvantages across the areas studied. The causal links between visual impairment and the various health, economic, social and emotional well-being disadvantages that were identified need further exploration, and it is clear from this work that secondary data analysis offers not only a useful but also a cost-effective research approach, an important consideration in these times. Even so, the authors do remind us that the analysis focuses upon self-reported visual impairment – indeed the method section of this article which considers the validity of the self-reported scales used is extremely useful for those exploring the use of secondary data sources in our field.
Of course, concerns about economic, social and personal well-being are not limited to the UK. Our third article by Santoshi Halder of the University of Calcutta, Department of Education, India and Poulomee Datta of the University of Adelaide, School of Education, considers the self concept of adolescents who are blind. This is a theme that the Journal has addressed in previous editions and this article is a welcome addition to the increasing body of knowledge on the theme in that it provides a comparative analysis between sighted and blind adolescents. The sample was made up of 160 participants aged 15 to 18. The study found that overall, sighted adolescents recorded higher scores than their blind counterparts but interestingly, while sighted male adolescents recorded higher self-concept scores than sighted female adolescents, no significant differences were found between the scores of male and female adolescents who are blind. The possible effects of social and cultural influences add an interesting dimension to the findings.
Concerns about the impact of economic constraint on education is high on the current political agenda in the UK and many other industrial countries. In relative terms however, children with visual impairment in UK schools will continue to be sheltered from the poverty and deprivation experienced by many children with visual impairment in the developing world where access to even basic learning materials, and indeed access to schooling itself, cannot be taken for granted. As highlighted in a research report, the challenges facing providers in sub-Saharan Africa are daunting ones that provide a sobering perspective on the current anxieties facing the countries of the North. Akakandelwa Akakandelwa from the University of Zambia and Joseph Munsanje from the Zambia Office of Sightsavers present the results of a national survey of the provision of learning and teaching materials for pupils with visual impairment. Through questionnaires and interviews they were able to establish that most children with visual impairment in Zambia are severely disadvantaged in their studies by a lack of appropriate resources and are effectively excluded from key subjects such as mathematics and science as a result. To address this issue the authors argue for the development of an infrastructure that will enable the development of appropriate learning materials, with workable systems for their procurement and distribution. Another key requirement is the training of teachers to ensure that when resources are available they are properly used.
As we explained in our last issue, this is the final edition for which we have editorial responsibility. During our editorship the shape and scope of the Journal has continued to evolve both in form and content. Thanks to all those people who have submitted articles to us over the years. Your patience and understanding while your work has been reviewed is much appreciated. Our heartfelt thanks too to our Editorial Board and referees, unpaid volunteers all, your responses and advice to authors have always been positive and constructive and you have many times provided meticulous feedback that has enabled inexperienced authors to develop their first publication. We would also like to express our thanks to our colleagues at SAGE for their unremitting support over the years, and for their commitment to promoting and securing a Journal that we see as vital for the continued development of the body of specialist knowledge that defines and distinguishes our field. Particular thanks go to Kathy Westwood and colleagues who helped us redesign the Journal’s design and remit when we first became editors in 2006–2007, and more recently to the Journal’s Production Editor Amit Panda and colleagues who patiently and efficiently bring together the journal editions. A final word of thanks goes to the wonderful Gerry Blunt who has expertly supported the administration of the journal for the last few years.
We are delighted that Dr John Ravenscroft at the University of Edinburgh will be taking over the editorship. As a respected colleague and friend, over many years John has actively promoted the interests of people with visual impairment and the excellence of his work is recognized not just in Scotland but around the world. We wish him and the team every success in the continuing development of the Journal. It just remains for us to wish you, our readers, a Happy New Year and to say goodbye and thank you one last time.
Steve McCall, Graeme Douglas, Mike McLinden
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