Gender and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

Women with visual impairment are often excluded from community participation, due to barriers that exist in society. The study aimed to investigate the lived social experiences of women with visual impairment. The theory of empowerment was used as a framework to guide the study. Literature on women with visual impairment, the global and national policies on disability inclusion, and intersectional analysis of gender and disability in the South African context were reviewed. The study was conducted in 2020-2021 in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality,  Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Ethical clearance was granted by the Human and Social Science Research Ethics Committee at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Permission to conduct the study was received from the local municipality, Help the Blind and Partially Sighted Society community center, and from the participants. An interpretivism paradigm utilizing qualitative descriptive methodology was employed. Data were collected using in-depth one-on-one interviews. Twenty-one visually impaired women and their caregivers, who were also women, were individually interviewed on their social experiences. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. The results revealed that, women with visual impairment experienced challenges that were related to family dynamics, gender-based violence, access to education and employment opportunities, building and maintaining social relations. The lived social experiences of women were compounded by their disability. Gender and disability as identity markers influenced the extent of challenges encountered. Empowering women with visual impairment may increase  independence and improve their participation in society.

Keywords: Social experiences, women with  disabilities,  visual impairment, intersectionality, and empowerment

Biography

Dr Z. Mahlungulu (PhD) is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, College of Humanities, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Her research interests include disability justice, inclusion, accessibility, and the intersections of gender, disability, race, etc. She has a passion with disability in community development.