Perceptions on Their Own Social Participation: A Qualitative Exploration of Ethiopian Secondary Students with Visual Impairments

Social participation is a vital part of life and has multifaceted positive outcomes on personal health and wellbeing. Social participation or the lack thereof might have more profound psychological impacts on individuals in a collectivist culture than its counterpart. The current study explored personal and environmental barriers that have hindered the effective social participation of secondary students with visual impairments. Exploration addressed various activities in and outside school settings in Ethiopia and discussed findings in relation to the prevailing cultural orientation. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data on barriers to social participation of 17 secondary students with visual impairments in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The qualitative data were analysed thematically, yielding four major themes and identifying twenty sub-themes that limited the social participation of students with visual impairments, such as personal, attitudinal, sociocultural, and practical barriers. The study showed a range of barriers that participants experienced related to social participation, the criticality of cultural orientation in providing context to understand the impacts of social participation, and the need for future research in the area.