The Lived Experiences of Visually Impaired Persons (VIPs) in Educational Settings

SOE hosted an EduTalk session on “The Lived Experiences of Visually Impaired Persons (VIPS) in Educational Settings”.  The session invited Dr. Faisal Bari, Dean LUMS School of Education and Iman Basit, Research Associate, to share the ongoing research on VIPS.
The EduTalk highlighted that the existing research on disability issues in Pakistan is primarily limited to statistics obtained from census and government reports. Dr. Bari and the research team have called for more qualitative research, especially in the educational context, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by children with disabilities. The team indicated that studying disability prevalence alone is not enough to comprehend the specific challenges that hinder the educational and societal participation of these children. It is essential to understand the children's identities and the unique barriers they face in attending school and participating in society.
The session highlighted that there is hardly any systematic research which exists on the lived realities of children with disabilities in Pakistan. To address this gap, the guest speakers conducted the research to capture the perspectives of visually impaired students (VIPs) enrolled in private and public special education schools/institutions. The study employed in-depth semi-structured and structured interviews to qualitatively explore and comprehend the experiences of visually impaired individuals in the educational context.
The research aimed to gain insights into the specific challenges faced by VIPs in accessing education and participating in society. The findings of this study will help inform policy and practices that are more inclusive and sensitive to the needs of VIPs. The talk concluded by emphasizing on how the research study contributes to a better understanding of the barriers that hinder the participation of visually impaired students in education and society, thereby paving the way for more inclusive and equitable practices in Pakistan.