Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness最新文献

{"title":"Access to Health and Disability Services for New Zealanders With Impaired Vision During the COVID-19 Pandemic 2020-2022.","authors":"Gretchen A Good, Solmaz Nazari Orakani, Tara N Officer, Michael Roguski, Karen McBride-Henry","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221144324","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0145482X221144324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> The COVID-19 pandemic has affected access to health and social services globally, leading to delays in accessing appropriate care. However, while there is a growing base of research into service access for the general population, there remains scarce information on the implications of the pandemic on disabled people. This article describes issues with health and disability support access for people with impaired vision in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa). <b>Methods:</b> Applying an Interpretive Description methodology, 62 interviews were conducted with disabled people; 10 of these individuals identified as having impaired vision. Findings were analyzed thematically for the entire group of 62, representing varied impairment groups, and then for the 10 who had impaired vision. <b>Results:</b> Five key themes arose from the interviews, including transportation difficulties, mental distress, loss of community, loss of physical contact and signals, and general loss of support. Participants identified that this loss of support occurred at multiple levels, meaning that the disability and healthcare system as a whole was ill-equipped to manage their needs. Participants reported a lag-time in accessing care, meaning that the effects of the pandemic are still felt due to a lack of available support and resources. <b>Discussion:</b> This article remains one of a few studies to look at the implications of the pandemic on access to health and disability services for those with impaired vision. It highlights that despite Aotearoa's good track record in managing the pandemic, groups were forgotten and marginalized by the collective response to managing COVID-19. <b>Implications for Practitioners:</b> Blindness professionals must be aware of the possible disadvantages and impacts of pandemics and other disasters on people with impaired vision and their access to health and disability services. Policymakers must include disabled people at the decision-making table so that the diverse needs of these populations are managed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 6","pages":"830-836"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9806190/pdf/10.1177_0145482X221144324.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10509198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digging into p Values","authors":"R. W. Emerson","doi":"10.1177/0145482x221144443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x221144443","url":null,"abstract":"Back in the January to February 2016 issue of this journal, I discussed p value and the increased need to report effect sizes along with p value. Since some time has passed and p value remains an important aspect of statistical reporting, I thought it wise to revisit the topic. To illustrate some points, we will refer to the article from this issue entitled “COVID-19: Social Distancing and Physical Activity in United Kingdom Residents with Visual Impairment,” by Strongman, Swain, Chung, Merzbach, and Gordon. The authors of this article made a number of t test comparisons where they are comparing the mean of one group to the mean of another group. If you cast your mind back, you will remember that, in the social sciences, we generally have a cutoff for “statistical significance” of .05 for such comparisons. This measure of significance means that, if the p value or significance level, is < .05, the difference in means between the two groups is deemed “statistically significant.” Statistical significance means that there is less than a 5% chance that the observed difference is due to chance. It is the accepted level of chance that experimenters are willing to accept in the social sciences, where data tend to be a little more noisy or hard to measure accurately than in something like physics. Let us unpack this matter a little more. A number of the comparisons in the article I am using as an example today has p values close to .05, either slightly more or less. How meaningful is it to claim that a comparison with a p value of .051 is not statistically meaningful while one with a p value of .049 is? This question is the reason why I made the case in 2016 that we should also include a measure of effect size when reporting the results of statistical tests so that the magnitude of the difference can also be known. In 1994, Jacob Cohen, a big name in statistics circles, wrote a piece entitled, “The Earth is Round (p < .05),” in which he summarized a long history of people noting that null hypothesis significance testing (which is what you are doing when you rely on the p level) is a dangerous game. Let us take this suggestion step by step. In null hypothesis significance testing (or NHST, for short), we start with the null hypothesis that the groups we are comparing are not different, or are drawn from the same larger population. If the p value from our statistical comparison is less than our cutoff (which is often .05), we “fail to accept the null hypothesis,” which leads one to want to say that the two groups are different. As Jacob Cohen notes,","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"857 - 858"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46271280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COVID-19: Social Distancing and Physical Activity in United Kingdom Residents With Visual Impairments.","authors":"Clare Strongman, Patrick Swain, Henry Chung, Viviane Merzbach, Dan Gordon","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221108703","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0145482X221108703","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> The introduction of the COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing policy has the potential to restrict access to physical activity, change exercise behavior, and to increase sedentary behavior. This study was conducted with the support of British Blind Sport and evaluates the effect of the lockdown policy on adults with visual impairments in the United Kingdom (UK). <b>Methods:</b> An online survey based on the World Health Organization's Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was completed by 73 participants (median age 35-44 years, 59% female) to gain information on how the implementation of the lockdown policy by the UK government has affected physical activity and sedentary behavior in adults that are visually impaired. Paired sample t-tests and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to analyze continuous and Likert scale data, respectively. <b>Results:</b> The majority of participants continued to exercise during lockdown, but the nature of this activity altered with a significant change to exercising in a private indoor space (+190% (always), <i>z</i> = -3.871, <i>p</i> < 0.001), and those exercising alone (+118% (always), <i>z</i> = -2.595, <i>p</i> = 0.009). The volume of activity reduced in all cases, between -11% and -52%, with significant changes in duration of vigorous day-to-day activity, moderate day-to-day activity, travel by foot or cycle, and vigorous recreational activity. Sedentary behavior increased on average by 21% (<i>t</i>(59) = -2.050, <i>p</i> = 0.045), with a greater effect seen in females (+36%, <i>t</i>(35) = -2.525, <i>p</i> = 0.016). <b>Discussion:</b> Reductions in physical activity volume and increases in sedentary behavior are consequences of the UK lockdown for those with visual impairments. The health and well-being implications of these data to this specific population are of particular concern. <b>Implications for Practitioners:</b> Lockdown measures should be designed with consideration of the needs of people with disabilities. Innovative ways to engage these populations in physical activity are strongly encouraged.</p>","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"806-816"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9548481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44264409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impact of COVID-19 on Transportation of Adults With Visual Impairments.","authors":"Kim T Zebehazy,&nbsp;L Penny Rosenblum,&nbsp;Kathleen M Thompson","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221143143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221143143","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Access to efficient and affordable transportation options has long been a challenge for many individuals with vision loss. In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a quick shift in the availability and safety of transportation. Methods: Using the constant comparison method, open-ended responses from 1,162 participants in the Flatten Inaccessibility study were coded. Responses were from participants who had concerns about transportation. Results: Ten themes and corresponding subthemes emerged from the data. Themes were interdependent in that the extent of concerns differed based on respondents’ support networks, transportation availability, and financial circumstances. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront both systemic and COVID-19 transportation challenges about which those with visual impairments experienced or had concerns or both. Implications for Practitioners: It is imperative that professionals support those with visual impairments to develop alternative plans for when their typical transportation options are disrupted.","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 6","pages":"794-805"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/1a/bb/10.1177_0145482X221143143.PMC9813643.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10511656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gathering Evidence on the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: Looking Back and Moving Forward, With Recommendations for Future Disasters.","authors":"Arielle Silverman","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221144438","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0145482X221144438","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"843-846"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9742726/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45801098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disasters and Disability: A Call to Action","authors":"G. Good","doi":"10.1177/0145482x221144405","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x221144405","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"761 - 763"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45456614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COVID-19 Delivery of Adaptive Vision Health Services for Seniors.","authors":"Margaret E Cleary","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221144444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221144444","url":null,"abstract":"The death of two dear nurse friends with dementia who lost their lives in long-term-care facilities, not from COVID-19, but because of it, shook me up. In their “homes,” many usually independent activities were not expected, but encouraged, carefully monitored, and assisted, or taken over, as appropriate. When attendants told Patricia to stop roaming and stay in her room, she refused to eat or get out of bed. Shortly thereafter, she expired. Kathleen, who was in “memory care,” gave up her life when she could not understand how to use the telephone or computer to communicate with her children and grandchildren. My heart goes out to those of you who had to endure the extreme sorrow being unable to be physically present with suffering loved ones. These events motivated me to contemplate these questions: How do seniors with visual impairments and health issues maintain quality of life during disasters? What specialized attention occurred during the COVID-19 lockdowns? What conditions complicated matters? Are health care personnel aware of the services vision professionals provide? What opportunities occur to collaborate with health care providers? In this commentary, I will share my casual survey regarding vision professionals providing services. My experience includes being a health care professional, certified vision rehabilitation therapist, and octogenarian with multiple health problems, sensory deficits, hospitalizations during recent years, and long-term assistive needs. I experienced pandemic-imposed conditions during my hospital stays (isolation, masking, medication rules, supervised mobility, short staffing, fatigued caregivers, dependency, and restricted visitors). The hospital staff members tried to meet the challenges of multiple patients, observed problems, recommended treatments, and provided in-house referrals to specialized services. I asked about their awareness of adaptive vision devices. With admittedly limited experiences of patients with known vision impairment, the head nurse (a registered nurse) reported some, saying that only patients with acute special medical or surgical requirements were retained in the hospitals. However, she cited an example of agitation related to COVID-19 that was causing patients to struggle out of bed and flail their arms. An attractive multicolored posey belt vest adorned with large zippers and buttons to occupy busy fingers helped calm agitated individuals. The floor manager showed an impressive closet filled with adaptive suggestions, large-print materials, dietary aides, communication hints, sensory support, and safe mobility devices. Staff members responded to questions about using these items with: “I didn’t know those existed”; “The demand for","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 6","pages":"853-856"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9813657/pdf/10.1177_0145482X221144444.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10513782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orientation and Mobility During COVID-19 and the Effect on Psychosocial Functioning.","authors":"Justin T Kaiser,&nbsp;Danene Fast,&nbsp;Jasamyn N DeGrant,&nbsp;Stephanie Welch-Grenier","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221143796","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221143796","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> This research explored the psychosocial effects observed during the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to orientation and mobility (O&M) services for children with visual impairments. The survey asked professionals to identify what were their experiences in providing O&M instruction in-person and online and to describe their interactions with students and families during the fall of 2020. <b>Methods:</b> The online survey results included open-ended responses from 166 O&M specialists. The authors used thematic analysis to examine and code participants' qualitative responses. <b>Results:</b> Psychological and social effects were identified as a major theme across the participants for how they affected an individual's health, well-being, and ability to complete aspects of O&M lessons. Professionals were challenged with providing appropriate instruction given the risks associated with COVID. Additionally, children with visual impairments became more isolated and less physically active over time. <b>Discussion:</b> Professionals, students, and parents often placed their concerns aside with the idea that changes to O&M services were a temporary measure with the student's best interest in mind. As the pandemic became prolonged, the effects on individuals became more pronounced. <b>Implications for Practitioners:</b> These circumstances raise many questions about the effectiveness of virtual instruction in O&M and its effect on professionals, students, and families. The importance of O&M becomes much more evident when considering the isolation many students experienced as a result of quarantine events.</p>","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 6","pages":"774-783"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9806193/pdf/10.1177_0145482X221143796.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10509201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Examination of Early Intervention Services for Children With Visual Impairments During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Tiffany A Wild, Tina S Herzberg, Michelle A C Hicks","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221144043","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0145482X221144043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> In the early spring of 2020, governments were beginning to react to the news of a global pandemic being caused by COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of COVID-19 on early intervention services for young children with visual impairments and their families. <b>Methods:</b> Parents of children with visual impairments aged birth to 3 years were asked a series of questions contained in a larger <i>Access and Engagement</i> survey that investigated the experiences of families of children and young adults with visual impairments aged birth to 21 years and professionals that provided educational services. <b>Results:</b> Three overall themes emerged from the data: (1) many changes occurred in the home, (2) early intervention services changed, and (3) planning for the transition to preschool was affected. <b>Discussion:</b> Overall, the changes in education due to the pandemic and initial shutdown resulted in much parental stress. Parents reported that they were stressed and sometimes overwhelmed by the sudden and dramatic changes in their daily lives and how best to help their children in continuing to learn and develop their skills while simultaneously working from home, being caregivers to the other children in the family, and serving as educators and sometimes informal therapists to their children. Many services moved to an online format and were provided remotely. <b>Implications for Practitioners:</b> Service providers should continue to provide services to families and children who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown while continuing to provide ways to support the social and emotional well-being of their families. Service providers and families should monitor their children's development and learning both now and in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 6","pages":"764-773"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9806278/pdf/10.1177_0145482X221144043.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10508719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disability, Disasters, and Resilience","authors":"S. Phibbs","doi":"10.1177/0145482X221144680","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X221144680","url":null,"abstract":"Disasters are “serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources” (International Federation of Red Cross, 2022). Disasters include natural hazard events, pandemics, terrorist attacks, war, and industrial accidents. Within the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR, 2015, p. 9) disaster resilience is defined as “[t]he ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions.” Disability is included in the Sendai Framework in relation to vulnerability and risk as well as inclusion in disaster preparedness, the need for disaggregated reporting statistics, and participation in disaster policy and planning (UNISDR, 2015). The United Nations (2015) definition of resilience encompasses built infrastructure, as well as environmental and social resilience. However, disaster resilience is a contested and complex term encompassing contingent, local, and particular relationships between societal, organizational, community, and psychological capacity (Kendra et al., 2018). At the individual level, psychological resilience is an adaptive capacity and the ability to positively deal with adversity while community resilience refers to the collective capacity and the ability of communities to bounce back (Wright, 2021) during the disaster recovery phase. Adaptive capacity is shaped by social inequalities and relations of power, which are, in turn, related to structural inequities associated with gender, race, class, (Wright, 2021) age, and disability. Critical approaches to resilience focus on the potential for local capacity to be co-opted by governments in order to justify the withdrawal of state resources for reducing vulnerability, building capacity, strengthening infrastructure, and ensuring sustainability (Kendra et al., 2018). The inverse response law (Phibbs et al., 2018) identified that vulnerable and marginalized groups are more likely to be impacted, to experience disparities in service provision during the disaster response and recovery phase, and to experience inequitable social and well-being outcomes over time. Within the disaster literature, vulnerable populations include migrant and indigenous peoples, children, the elderly, and those who are physically and mentally disabled, medically dependent, living in poverty, homeless, or rurally isolated (Phibbs et al., 2016). People with disabilities are over-represented in risk factors that are associated with disaster vulnerability including living in poverty, having high healthcare needs, residing alone in low-income neighborhoods, and being unable to respond quickly during an emergency (Phibbs et al., 2014). Disabled people are also reluctant to evacuate due to concerns that emergency shelters will not be able to meet th","PeriodicalId":47438,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness","volume":"116 1","pages":"847 - 849"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42731393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}