Enhancing Lives of the Visually Impaired: A Century of Progress

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More than a century ago, being diagnosed or being born with visual impairment meant one was condemned to a life of disability, confinement and a feeling of being alone. The visually impaired people have had minimal chances of living an ordinary life and achieving their goals over the past few decades. The visually impaired people face many challenges in their attempts to receive the much-needed education or to even get employment in order to survive in this world. In the last one hundred years, numerous changes have been implemented to improve the way the visually impaired community live their lives and to also increase the number of opportunities made available to them. These changes include new legislations, change in perception of the visually …show more content…

Navigating the internal environment is a challenge for the visually impaired that is typically minimized through familiarization of the internal environment. That is to say, the visually impaired people can learn the way their homes are arranged. However, the issue of navigating the external environment proves to be a challenge because the external environment is not directly under the control of the visually impaired person [2]. It is challenging for the person to take a stroll, access social amenities and go to places of work. When examined on a global scale, most visually impaired people depend on the public transport system and walking to navigate around. Therefore, they depend on sighted assistance to identify the bus number, bus stops and the physical location of the bus. Moreover, challenges of navigation through walking includes barriers, uncovered drains, construction sites and lack of handicap-friendly …show more content…

The loss of vision during life or being born with the condition affects the psychology of a person. One form of psychological problem exhibited by those living with visual impairment is depression [4]. This depression is more common in patients who lose their sight in the course of their lives rather than those born with blindness. The reason for this is the perceived lack of opportunities for them and the challenges of having to adjust living with visual impairment. Additionally, lowered or lack of self-esteem can take effect in a person’s mind who is subjected to any form of visual impairment. The self-esteem issue comes about as a result of the pressure to fit in among social groups and the perceived problem of having to seek help from others

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