Introspection of Visually Impaired Children: a Qualitative Study in a Blind School of Kolkata, West Bengal

Data analysis :

It was done through thematic analysis approach. Coding was done for similar ideas/topics and these were funneled into broader themes. The first step was writing whole extract called transcript formation. Then initial codes were generated by organizing the data into meaningful groups. Coded extracts into similar ideas were funneled into relevant themes. Reviewing of participants' quotes were also done and finally, connections among various quotes and codes were made to produce the final themes with names. The final theme names were then developed through collaborative discussions among the researchers.

Problems and issues stated by the parents:

1. Mental and Emotional Status of Children:

Some mothers stated that their children were very obstinate with frequent outburst of anger. On the other hand, their intelligence and memory level were very high. These children also had the habit of asking too many questions to their parents. They could easily identify the owner of any voice they heard. They also had the special ability to recognize known people with the sound of their footsteps or through their body odour or by feeling their dress or body. Only one said that her child whom she had adopted at the age of 2 months had a chronological age of 7 years but her intelligence was akin to a 5-year child. This special child had undergone 3 years special training for speech and mental development in a National level training institute in Kolkata. There were very few children who were soft and calm by nature.

Quote 1: 'My child is very adamant, cries for things, throws things, it's very difficult to control her anger.'

Quote 2: My child can memorize very fast by listening only and can identify persons by their voice, sound of feet, smell of body etc'.

2. Travails of Travel :

Nobody used dog or cane while moving around both within and outside their house. When travelling outdoor they were always guided by someone who could see. Many of the mothers claimed that their children could identify the bus/auto stoppage and had no difficulty in plying to and fro by public transport.. Most of the mothers were terrified to let their child travel on their own.

All the mothers opined that their children faced major stigma while travelling in the bus. The co passengers and the conductors were not at all sympathetic towards them. The mothers claimed that they were often intercepted while these children were talking or discussing or asking questions while travelling.

Quote 3. 'I am scared to let my child travel on his own. Bus conductors, drivers and co passengers misbehave with my child. Handicap card is often demanded by drivers before boarding a bus though the disability of the child can easily be witnessed'.

Quote 4. 'Sometimes when he talks excessively the crowd in the bus gets irritated.'

3. Life with Family :

There was no stigma or problem as such within the family. Their normal siblings were very understanding with whom they had very good relationship. The protective mothers took a lot of care of their children in social gatherings so that the children hardly had to face any adversity for their disability. However, the mothers claimed that there was always a lingering cause of stress among the parents for their disabled children. One mother expressed her sorrow for being unable to exactly describe the beauty around her to her child when she watched beautiful things in social gathering like sari, jewelries etc. Many mothers claimed that in social functions their children talked a lot or asked plenty of questions which irritated those who were around them. However, few mothers said that their children often did not open up when they were sick.

Quote 5. 'My child talks a lot in social gathering which other people sometimes dislike.'

Quote 6. " My child never speaks up when he is sick'

4. Issues related to education and future life :

Regarding the education of their special children, most of the mothers were stressed due to difficulties faced by their children during brail technique learning especially for mathematical calculations. Regarding marriage, most of them had not planned anything beforehand & said that their children would decide about their life partner when they grew up. Almost all the mothers were very worried about the financial independence of their children once they grew up

Quote 7. 'I feel mathematics in brail to be toughest to learn' Quote 8. 'I want to keep money for them in future. I wonder if my child will ever be able to stand on her own feet.

Quote 9. 'There is no science department in the blind school so the child has to take arts subject and so I feel that there is very few scope of a job for him in the future'.

In depth interview of the principal :

1. Life in School :

The principal was herself visually impaired, she could understand the plight of her students more intensely. She seemed to be very empathetic towards the suffering of the students and was doing her best to ameliorate their affliction with care, compassion and affection.

2. Facilities Available in School :

The children of the school were very friendly among themselves; as a result they were very much at ease when they spent their time with their peer group. Studying in a special school deprived them to mix or interact with normal children though their intelligence was at par with normal children.. There was a big play ground and there was facility for both indoor (chess) and outdoor games (football, cricket). Music and Arts subjects were taught in the school with no place for science subjects in the curriculum.

3. Dream Projects :

She talked about her dream projects for the welfare of her dear students. She planned to introduce Computer Course, Spoken English course, Brail library, government recognition for vocational training course of blind students and hold regular cultural Programmes to improve mental and social health of students. She also had plans to turn the school into a barrier free building.

4.Impediments for Growth :

Most of the students were from very low socio-economic strata of the community and many were even below the poverty line. The aid obtained from the government was insufficient and therefore she had to depend on corporate and other donations for survival, which again were inadequate, irregular and infrequent.

4. Poor mental health :

According to the principal poor mental health of the students is a matter of concern since she had detected some of these students suffering from depression, with suicidal tendency. She had planned going to take the help of a counsellor for this.. Measures to avoid suicides had been taken like mandatory twin sharing of rooms and instructions to parents to not to give knife, scissors, blade to their children.

5. Adverse attitude of Parents :

Sometimes parents detained their children in the school only because they did not want to take them to any social gathering or function. This might be very convenient for the parents but this act of dumping their children in the school and deterring them from participating in family or social functions led to mental trauma and turmoil among them. They felt left out & burden to their parents and that they were being deprived of their opportunity to mingle with normal people.

6. Problems related to Hostel :

She stated that funding for their hostel was very less from government and it needed renovation. Provision of nutritious diet for hostel students was becoming difficult as their pond in hostel grounds was not being utilized for fish firming. This financial crunch reflected in the poor manpower and unhygienic premises of hostel.

Case Studies :

1. A mother had adopted a child whom she found abandoned near a public vat. Obviously this baby had been dumped by her parents because she was blind. However, the mother who had adopted her gave her all the love, care and affection as much, may be more than her biological mother. Quote 10. 'When I found my special child first she was 2 months old and lying in the roadside as she was thrown away by her family due to her blindness at birth.'

2. Domestic violence in family was affecting a 6-year-old male child, making the child adamant and unruly. The child disliked his father who beat his wife regularly. The mother complained that the child was neglected and was almost hated by his father; his only fault was his visual impairment. The father implicated the mother for the child's disability resulting in domestic violence and extramarital relationship. Recently he divorced his wife and now the mother was a single mother.

Quote 11 : 'A 6-year boy is very adamant and unruly and beats his classmates. From the family history I found that in his home, his mother was beaten by his father regularly. Ultimately his father divorced his mother and remarried.' (Principal's statement)'

3. The elder child of one participant, a working girl has given up her plan to marry since she felt that once she would got married, her in laws would not allow her to support her family.

Quote 12: 'My late husband had very good bonding with his two daughters. Now my elder normal daughter is doing a job after completing her studies and supports us both financially and mentally. She refuses to marry anyone who will not accept her visually impaired sister's responsibility.'