research paper

1. GENERAL PERCEPTION ABOUT VISUALLY IMPAIRED (BLIND) PEOPLE
AND BARRIERS FACED BY THEM.
Prepared for
Dr Zia Ahmad
Institute of social sciences
Bahauddin Zakriya University Multan.
PREPARED BY: MUQADAS SALEEM
BPAM-15-23

2. INTRODUCTION
 Over the last few decades’ new research from the fields of neuroscience and social psychology has shed light
onto the working of the human brain and the concept of unconscious bias. Unconscious biases are simply our
unintentional people preferences, which are created and maintained by the way our brains work, to sort data
quickly and are influenced by our upbringing, the media and our life experiences. We automatically become
the victim of some stereotypes and biased thoughts. Lake of awareness plays key negative role in spreading
these prejudices. Aim of this report is to remove such stereotypes and prejudices on the basis of awareness, to
help visually impaired people to get their justified social status. For the sake of this report students of Public
administration surveyed “Muhammad Bin Qasim blind welfare complex” this institute itself is an example that
breaks all the stereotypes like Blind people are financial burden or they must live in nursing houses etc. this
institute was founded by Muhammad bin Qasim karni who is blind himself and this institute is now working as
a link between visually impaired, cited people and Government. Here visually impaired people are taught to
earn their lives through respectable means they are acquired with different skills like Handicrafts, Computer
Operating, telephone operating, sculpturing and their other talents such as musical expertise are polished
here. Visually impaired people from this institute are serving in both private and government sector even some
of them are qualifying good ranks in CSS (Central Superior services). This Institute works with a mission
statement “we aren’t disable we are differently able.” In this report it will clearly be denied that visually
impaired people are unable to earn their lives, it is okay to abort a baby if he/she is disable and justifies the
fact that visually impaired people can overcome their disabilities if they work hard.

3. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
 The purpose of this study is to remove negative prejudice and unconscious biasedness from general
public about Visually Impaired people with a Mission Statement that they are not disable they are
differently able and just like people with cite they deserve a proper social status and some of the
problems faced by visually impaired people and its solutions are also discussed in this paper.

4. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
 This paper has the probability to affect visually impaired people and their families, can act as a source of
knowledge for general public, it may guide the Institutions related to required changes for the benefit
and welfare of visually impaired people and can helps general public to eliminate their wrong
perceptions and wrong attitude which lowers the confidence level of visually impaired people. It can also
act as a guide for governance to specify job quota for blind people for whom they are eligible and can
modify traffic rules and mode of transportation foe visually impaired people.

5. SCOPE OF STUDY
 This paper is limited only to visually impaired people there is no discussion about other disabilities. The
survey was conducted in a Welfare complex named as Muhammad Bin Qasim Blind welfare complex.
Sample of 20 visually impaired students were taken. Our Questioner includes two parts having five
qualitative and fifteen quantitative questions to conclude about the problems faced by them with the
expected solutions.

6. LITERATURE REVIEW
 Columbia University Provost and social psychologist Claude Steele says that stereotypes play an
important role in defining who we are, and how we are seen by others.
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128082797)
 Misconceptions of blind people are vast, contradictory, and are derived mostly from a mix of
unfamiliarity with blind people and the belief that to experience blindness all one needs to do is close
your eyes.( By David W. Wannop)( http://www.lvib.org/programs/top-10-misconceptions-about-blind-
people/

7. CONT..
 Blindness may result from a disease, injury or other conditions that limit vision. Legal blindness means
that a person has vision that measures 20/200 or worse, explains the Iowa Department for the Blind. For
example, someone with 20/200 vision sees an object from 20 feet that a person with perfect 20/20 vision
is able to see from 200 feet

8. CONT.. (CHALLENGES)
 Knowing the challenges blindness creates may help sighted people understand what blind people face
each day.

9. ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
 People with complete blindness or low vision often have a difficult time self-navigating outside well-
known environments. In fact, physical movement is one of the biggest challenges for blind people,
explains World Access for the Blind. Traveling or simply walking down a crowded street may pose great
difficulty. Because of this, many people with low vision will bring a sighted friend or family member to
help navigate unknown environments.As well, blind people must learn every detail about the home
environment. Large obstacles such as tables and chairs must remain in one location to prevent injury. If a
blind person lives with others, each member of the household must diligently keep walkways clear and
all items in designated locations.

10. SOCIAL CHALLENGES
 Blindness causes considerable social challenges, usually in relation to the activities in which a blind
person cannot participate. All too frequently, blindness affects a person's ability to perform many job
duties, which severely limits her employment opportunities, explains the World Health Organization. This
may not only affect a person's finances, but also her self-esteem.
Blindness may also cause difficulties with participating in activities outside of a workplace, such as sports
and academics. Many of these social challenges limit a blind person's ability to meet people, and this
only adds to low self-esteem.

11. TECHNOLOGICAL
 Technology poses a challenge for blind people as well. For example, a blind person cannot read the
information on a web page. Searching the internet requires screen reading software will read the
information on a website, but this may require a significant amount of time to learn the process. People
who have limited vision may have difficulty with viewing websites as well, particularly the small fonts,
icons and screen colors used by many sites, says the University of Wisconsin. People with low vision may
require special equipment that can enlarge a screen significantly. Other technology, such as music
players that require visual selection of music, or text messages, will also cause challenges for blind
people.

12. METHOD OF STUDY
 Study was conducted by the students of public administration from institute of social sciences BZU
(Multan). Questioner methods of sampling were adopted. Questioner included two parts 1) Qualitative
questions to inquire and understand major problems face by visually impaired people i-e social barriers,
kind of devices than can proved to be a good source to make life of visually impaired people easy.
Qualitative portion also includes the questions related to type of jobs visually impaired people are
illegible of? 2) Quantitative portion includes some questions that represent perception of general public
related visually impaired people and their answers by visually impaired people to differentiate between
reality and perception.

13. METHOD OF STUDY
 Collection of data/Sample selection
Data was collected from 20 visually impaired students of Muhammad bin Qasim blind welfare complex
through both primary and secondary method.
 Statistical Analysis
Than statistical analysis through Micro Soft excel was applied on it to calculate the percentage of persons
who agree or disagree with the questioner’s statement.
 Limitation of study
Sample was collected only from students of a blind welfare complex and results can differ from the
situation of visually impaired people who never joined any welfare complex or were unable to polish their
skills.

14. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
 Introduction:
 This study was designed to eliminate wrong perception and prejudice regarding to visually impaired
people. Twenty questioners were distributed to visually impaired students of Muhammad Bin Qasim
Blind Welfare Complex to analyze their attitude towards life the response rate was good. This section
includes findings, Conclusions and recommendations

15. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
 Findings
The findings will be presented in three sections according to following characteristics. First section includes
age gender Qualification, second sections includes Quantitative Answers of the questions asked from
visually impaired students and third section consists of Answers of Qualitative Questions asked from
Visually Impaired students of Muhammad Bin Qasim Blind Welfare complex.

16. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Gender male female other
65% 35% 0%
Age 10-20y 21-30y 31-40y
60% 35% 5%
Qualification primary middle intermediate Graduate
15% 50% 25% 10%

17. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
No Statements Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
1) Hard life 30% 30% 15% 25% 0
1) Can be good parents 65% 25% 0% 0% 10%
1) Suicide rate is high 0% 15% 35% 35% 25%
1) Only Marry with other disable. 35% 15% 25% 0% 25%
1) Needy and requires sympathy 0% 20% 20% 5% 30%
1) Integration in public school 25% 20% 25% 15% 15%
1) employee able 70% 25% 5% 0% 0%
1) Can overcome their disabilities 50% 40% 5% 5% 0%
1) Prevented from attitude barrier
that lowers their confidence
55% 20% 10% 5% 10%
1) Mentally disturbed 5% 45% 25% 10% 15%
1) Laziness 0% 25% 30% 20% 25%
1) Self-decision making 25% 25% 20% 30%
1) Childish behavior 10% 5% 15% 35% 35%
1) Financial burden 10% 5% 5% 45% 25%
1) Must live in Nursing homes 10% 15% 10% 20% 45%

18. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
 According to these findings Majority of the Visually Impaired Students Believe that they are living a
Hard life (30% Strongly agree, 30% agree) but the believe that they can be good parents (65%
Strongly agreed) even the Founder of Muhammad Bin Qasim Blind welfare complex was a Good
example of Excellent Father he is blind himself but up brings his daughter very well during our survey
in their Complex we came to know that this institute is the platform where almost 72 pairs of Visually
Impaired people were married and they are on high ranks in Government and Private Services and
supporting their family as normal people do.

19. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
 General public has the perception that suicide rate of Disabled people is comparatively high but these
students denied this wrong perception (35% disagree and 25% strongly disagree) they were full of life and
confident but 35% answered neutral according to them its rate can be high or low according to the life a
visually impaired person is living if they are guided the way we are being guided than they may live a good,
confident life but if they are left alone in the dark thinking them a financial burden than they may commit
suicide. Next question was about marriage It is not necessary that visually impaired people must marry
people with similar disability (45% students disagree) but 25% students agree that they must merry to a
person with similar disability so that both can understand each other in a better way. Our fifth question was
that either they are needy and needs sympathy its answer was quite dispersed as shown in the chart above.
Sixth question was about their integration in public school with sighted kids (25% strongly agreed, 20%
agree) but they agree with the point that they should be integrated in public schools after getting some
initial developmental training from special schools so that they can confidently face social barriers according
to them if they were integrated in public schools there exposer to social world will increase and people will
assume less negatively about them. 70% students Strongly agree and 25% agrees to the statement that
they are employee able because in their institute they were learning some professionals skills to earn their
lives like Handicrafts, Telephone operating, Computer operating even their teachers were blind but they
were all qualifies one of their teacher was Teaching in Our University (BZU) as well,

20. SECTION II
FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
 Visually Impaired people are serving in different respectable fields they are not disable they bare
differently able. Eighth statement was if they can overcome their disabilities if they try hard and the
response was positive 50% strongly agreed and 20% agreed. Ninth question was about prevention
from social attitude barriers because they lower their confidence towards life (55% students strongly
agree that social resistance decreases their confidence. In the 10th question 5% students strongly
agreed and 45% agreed that they are mentally disturbed because of social negligence and negative
attitudes they face. In 11th statement they denied the statement that visually impaired people are lazy.
People usually have the perception that visually impaired people must not be allowed to take their
own decision but 25% strongly agreed and 25% agreed that they are able to make their decisions and
must be allowed to do so. People usually have a concept that visually impaired people show childish
behaviors and non-serious attitude towards life but our survey completely disagree with this
statement (35% strongly disagreed and 35% disagreed). In the second last statement that visually
impaired people are a financial burden 45% disagree and 35% strongly disagreed ) they proved this in
front of our survey team they are able to earn their lives they can live a life just as others they are not
a financial burden. Last question was either they should live in nursing homes the answer was no they
are able to carry a normal life they are not ill they are differently able.

21. SECTION III
 In third section on Questioner some Qualitative Statement based question were asked first question
was 1) what may be the biggest problem that blind people face in their lives? And what may be the
possible solution that can be solved technically? Majority replied as that the biggest problem they face
is Social resistance, people are not ready to accept them not even the world outside but their family
also misunderstands them they are not ready to accept them. The solution to this problem is
awareness they said our Government should work for the awareness that we are not aliens nether
disable we are differently able as they aware people about Dengue etc. they must also let general
public aware of the facts that we are like them and are able to love normal life

22. DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS
 Do Blind People Dream? The answer was yes there are 3 categories of blindness B1,B2,B3 B1 are totally
blind B2 can differentiate between darkness and light and B3 are partially blind they feel auditory
dreams.
 What do Blind people do for living? They can be aa good teacher, telephone operator, engineer,
musician, Artist, sculpturerist, even some visually impaired people are Qualifying CSS, and serving in
Government fields.
 What are the problems of blind people in Pakistan? Social unacceptance, lake of justice, improper
Transport, lake of education resources and less work space for visually impaired people are some of
the major problems in Pakistan
 What Kind of a smart device can we create to enhance the lives of blind people? There must be
software’s that can read the words for them and a device that can convert brail into lyrics as well.

23. CONCLUSION:
 On the basis of Finding we can conclude that Visually Impaired people are not disable they are
differently able if they try hard they can overcome their disabilities and with the help of welfare
complex like Muhammad Bin Qasim Blin Welfare complex they can polish their skills and become
confident to face social resistance this survey was basically conducted to eliminate the biased
thoughts about Visually Impaired people they are mentally not stable, act in a childish manner, suicide
rate of disable people is high, visually impaired people must marry to the person with other
disabilities, they are financial burden, they must not be allowed to make their own decisions, they
should live in nursing homes, they are not employee able, they are lazy, they cannot make good
parents, but according to this survey answer to all these prejudice is no. They can simply live as
normal people.

24. RECOMMENDATIONS
 Visually Impaired people are not disable they are differently able
 They must be treated in a Socially acceptable way
 They are employee able if a visually impaired person is qualified for a job then we shouldn’t be
discriminated just because they are unable to see
 Don’t call them with words like “Bhai Shab, Bhai Jan” they Do have name call them with their names
 It’s our social and moral duty to prevent them from social resistances and show sympathy