Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

McGrath, Colleen

Abstract

Using a constructivist narrative inquiry approach, this research study sought to explore how parents of adolescents with visual impairments story their psychosocial and occupational experiences. Participants of the study consisted of four parents who were currently raising adolescents with visual impairments between the ages of 14 to 17. Participants took part in two in-depth narrative interviews, in which they answered several open-ended questions about their experiences of raising their adolescent children who were visually impaired. Participants also participated in a brief concluding interview session, in which they provided feedback on the narrative that I constructed based on their interview responses. A holistic-content analysis (Lieblich et al., 1998) and a thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) were performed to analyze participants’ narrative accounts. The analyses identified six themes including: 1) Grief, Uncertainty, and Frustration During the Early Years; 2) Identity as An Advocate; 3) Enabling Independence and Envisioning the Future; 4) Planning Occupations in the Time of Transition; 5) Navigating Challenges in Getting Required Support: Frustrations and Successes; and 6) Changed Perceptions within the Context of Societal Misunderstanding. Findings of this study address the gap in the current body of literature by highlighting the complexity of parents’ psychosocial and occupational experiences along the journey of raising an adolescent with a visual impairment and ways in which parents negotiate and make sense of those experiences. The implications of the findings of this exploratory study for future research and low vision rehabilitation practice are also discussed.

Summary for Lay Audience

In Canada, approximately 88,010 adolescents are living with a visual impairment. Adolescence is a developmental period where many transitions and changes take place, and parents of adolescents with visual impairments often need to navigate unique challenges and parenting tasks along their parenting journey. This research study aimed to understand the experiences of parents of adolescents with visual impairments. Four participants (three mothers and one father) who were currently raising adolescents with visual impairments between the ages of 14 to 17 took part in this study. Participants were interviewed and shared their stories of raising their adolescent children who were visually impaired. Analysis of the participants’ narrative accounts revealed six themes including: 1) Grief, Uncertainty, and Frustration During the Early Years; 2) Identity as An Advocate; 3) Enabling Independence and Envisioning the Future; 4) Planning Occupations in the Time of Transition; 5) Navigating Challenges in Getting Required Support: Frustrations and Successes; and 6) Changed Perceptions within the Context of Societal Misunderstanding. Findings of this study highlight the psychological process, social reality, as well as the important and meaningful parenting tasks involved in the lives of parents of adolescent with visual impairments. Knowledge gained from this study has the potential to inform future research as well as the development and reform of programs and services for adolescents with visual impairments and their parents, within the context of healthcare, social service, and education systems.

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