| Students who are visually impaired have significantly lower educational and vocational success rates than their nondisabled peers (Hasazi, Johnson, Hasazi, Gordon, & Hull, 1989; Nagle, 2001). A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the educational, vocational and social experiences of college educated individuals who were visually impaired in order to determine how these experiences impacted them educationally, vocationally and socially. The participants of the study were 16 individuals who were visually impaired, nine were college students and seven were college graduates. The findings of this study fell under three primary themes: (1) Self Advocacy and Acquiring Accommodation, (2) Work Related Experiences and (3) Reactions to Visual Impairment.;Five findings were related to Self Advocacy and Acquiring Accommodations, they included: (1) The reasonable accommodations that were received by college students who were visually impaired. (2) The positive and negative role of college and university Disability Support Service offices. (3) The inaccessibility of technology on college campuses, (4) Self advocacy and (5) Transportation. Six findings were related to Work Related Experience, they included: (1) The employer's lack of knowledge about visual impairment. (2) Self advocacy. (3) A lack of work experience. (4) Working in companies with a primarily blind population. (5) Inaccessible software and (6) Transportation. Six findings were found to be related to Reactions to Visual Impairment, they include: (1) People's reaction to visual impairment. (2) The participant's reaction to their own visual impairment. (3) Involvement in organizations for the blind and visually impaired, (4) Transportation and (5) Use of a White Cane. Recommendations were made for college and university disability personnel, rehabilitation professionals and individuals who are visually impaired. |
