Factors affecting educational opportunities and accessibility of an individual with deafblindness

Abstract

Deafblindness is a rare and unique condition. Individuals with deafblindness have combined hearing and vision loss, thus limiting their access to both auditory and visual information, which could have inhibitive effects on their learning, communication and mobility in their daily life. This qualitative research aimed to examine factors affecting educational opportunities and accessibilities for the individual with deafblindness. The target group included one individual with deafblindness, three family members, and four teachers. The research tools consisted of a checklist, a non-participative observation form, an in-depth interview form, and a focus group. The data were collected, triangulated, and sorted into categories and summarized by inductive reasoning to achieve the purpose of the research and descriptive presentation. The result showed that all four factors examined, which included issues pertaining to disability; the family; the educational system; and the environment had significant impact on the case study’s educational opportunities and accessibilities. This research indicated that educational opportunities and accessibilities of any individuals with deafblindness are dependent on strong support and collaborative efforts of all relevant persons including interactions with parents, schools, and/or community under the coordination and sustenance of the ecological framework system.