Life with Visual Impairment. With strengths to self-management

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Psychology - Developmental Psychology, grade: 7,0, University of Twente , language: English, abstract: The current study investigated the role that strengths play in self-management and offered an in-depth insight into which strengths supported individuals with visual impairments in their self-management. While some strengths aided the participants in their self-management strategies, others were beneficial to the participants independent of these strategies they employed. Visual impairments are wide spread around the globe. It is estimated that around 2,2 billion people are visually impaired. Such impairments often negatively impact the well-being and quality of life of those affected. To better face the many challenges imposed upon them by their impairments, many individuals with visual impairments employ self- management. To support this self-management, individuals with visual impairments can make use of their strengths and more specifically the strength-based approach. Here, the focus is laid upon strengths instead of limitations, enabling individuals suffering from visual impairments to grow and realize their full potential. Given its importance there is not enough research available about the strengths that individuals with visual impairments use to self- manage their lives. Therefore, the current study aims to identify which strengths are used by individuals with visual impairments to self-manage their lives. Methods: A convenience sample was used to recruit 10 visually impaired participants that were needed for the current study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the experiences these individuals have made with regards to their visual impairments and which strengths they thought helped them to self-manage their lives, Interviews were executed and audio-recorded via Skype, transcribed by the researcher, and finally coded following an inductive approach. Results: After conducting the interviews, a total of 10 codes were found which were integrated into the main themes 'internal strengths', 'external strengths', and 'self- management strategies'. The internal strengths of having self-confidence and humour were found to directly contribute to the self-management strategies 'seeking help' and 'acceptance of the visual impairment' respectively.