Social support of educational institutions for students with visual impairments and their families

Abstract

Educational institutions are an important part of the formal social support system. Students with visual impairments are in need of special social support to meet their educational needs and efficient functioning of the professional and everyday life. By the indirect interview, conducted with 32 blind adolescents, their parents and with the same number of adolescents and their parents of the control group, we collected data on the level and content of the observed and expected (concrete, informational and emotional) social support of educational institutions for students with visual impairments and their families. Statistical analysis revealed a number of significant differences between experimental and control groups and within the experimental group. A glance at the results shows that all differences between observed and expected levels of social support of educational institutions, according to rates of blind adolescents and their parents are significant, as well as all differences between the experimental and control groups in the perception of the expected level of social support of educational institutions. Qualitative analysis of responses also indicated differences between the groups regarding the content of the observed and expected social support of educational institutions and gave helpful ideas on how to improve social support for students with visual impairments and their families.

Keywords

• social support
• educational institutions
• students with visual impairment
• family