Environment and blindness: The experiences of adults with acquired blindness in performing the activities of daily living

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of adult people with acquired blindness in performing their activities of daily living and to investigate the role of environmental factors in this process. A qualitative phenomenological method has been designed for this study. a sample 22 adults with acquired blindness who were blind for more than 5 years of life were purposefully selected and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed verbatim، coded and analyzed using van Manen’s method. The five clustered themes that emerged from the interviews included: 1) products and technology - discusses the benefits and drawbacks to using advanced technology to promote independence. 2) physical environment- ''The streets are like an obstacle course''،3) support and relationships- refers to the assistance that blind people receive from family، friends، and society، 4) attitudes- includes family and social attitudes toward blind people، and 5) services and policies- such as social security، supportive acts، economic factors، educational problems and providing services. findings identify how performance of blind people in daily living activities is affected by environmental factors and what are these factors. The results can enable occupational therapists and other health care professionals who are involved with blind people to become more competent during assessment، counseling، teaching، giving support، or other interventions as needed to assist blind people. Recommendations for further research include more studies of this population to identify other challenges over time. This would facilitate long term goals in the care. Studies that include more diversity in demographic characteristics would provide greater generalizability. Such characteristics as adolescent age group، married and single، ethnicity، and socioeconomic status are particularly important to target.