• Both as researchers and professionals in the field of disability we make attempts to understand people’s life situations in different respects. We present research results in various media, where everyone can read about the life circumstances of a particular group or persons, and as professionals we intend to interpret people’s life situations for the purpose of rehabilitation plans, teaching activities, etc. The question we will address concerns the trustworthiness in understanding another person’s life. For instance, in the tradition of life-world phenomenological research, how is it possible to understand another person’s world? And, to make it even more difficult; how is it possible to understand the world of a person with functional or activity limitations, in this case a person who is blind? Within a life-world approach, this question is imperative. What are the possibilities, but also difficulties or limitations, in trying to understand a blind and a sighted person’s world respectively? From interpretative standpoint it is of great importance to find usable concepts in the ‘research communication arena’, but also to penetrate the perceptual ground for the language used. To answer these questions qualitative research is the preferred strategy to approach O&M practice, for instance when introducing new environments and orientation activities. In the presentation we will address these questions from the perspective of the researcher and the professional, but also from the perspective of our own experiences of blindness and normal vision. Here we will use our own experiences in trying to understand the world of blindness and sightness respectively.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

phenomenology

visual impairment

blindness

life-world

methodology

hermeneutics

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)