Barriers and enablers to participation in learning and future employability for students with blindness and low vision in Australian mainstream secondary schools: a bioecological systems perspective

Barriers and enablers to participation in learning and future employability for students with blindness and low vision in Australian mainstream secondary schools: a bioecological systems perspective

This study explored barriers and enablers in Australian mainstream secondary schools for students with blindness and low vision. The research was undertaken at a critical time, as employment rates continued to be low for people with blindness and low vision, despite policies to increase access and participation for people with disabilities in mainstream schools and post-schooling. The study sought to explore a) what a range of stakeholders perceived enabled and/or inhibited participation in learning and future employability for secondary students with blindness and low vision, b) how these perspectives related to the Bioecological Systems Model in identifying barriers for students with blindness and low vision, and c) the implications of this knowledge for future employability and practice for educators.

The research problem was contextualised in the literature describing the impact for students with blindness and low vision on education, which were embedded in inclusive policy and practice, along with barriers and enablers within the school system, which may impact the transition to employment. While some empirical studies have investigated access to learning within school environments, many of these studies focused on the lens of one group of participants. In contrast, this thesis considered a wider viewpoint gathering holistic understanding and richer perspectives from a range of stakeholders from within the ecosystem of students with blindness and low vision in mainstream secondary schools.

Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the six students at the centre of this study and 30 other stakeholders, identified from each level of the students’ ecosystem using Bronfenbrenner and Morris’ (2005) Bioecological Systems Model. Participants included a) students, b) teaching staff, c) advisory teachers/therapists, d) policy-makers, e) parents/carers of students with blindness and low vision, f) people with lived experience, and g) employment consultants/employers responsible for hiring within their companies. Interview transcriptions were themed using inductive coding in NVivo, presented first for each group of participants, before being analysed and discussed collectively, in line with Stake’s (2005) Multiple Case Study Analysis approach.

The research makes three significant contributions to theory and practice. First, this study identified disability-specific skills as proximal processes (the interaction between person and environment) to participation in learning and future employability for students with blindness and low vision. When present over regular and sustained periods of time, disability-specific skills acted as enablers to the developmental outcomes of students with blindness and low vision. When proximal processes were dysfunctional, or were not supported within the ecosystem, it presented a barrier to future employability for students with blindness and low vision.

Second, a revisualised Bioecological Systems Model was presented and demonstrated as an holistic method to identify barriers and enablers within systems. The model offered potential applications to operationalise further research in different ecosystems. Further, evocations which relate to the improved practice in education for students with blindness and low vision, include a) empowering students to develop personal agency, b) encouraging use of mainstream technology for access and inclusion, and c) promoting a collaborative approach to learning. Finally, contributions to the prospect of employment are provided, through the development of a national scope and sequence of disability-specific skills for students with blindness and low vision.

The results of this study have international significance as they provide the potential for educators globally to prepare students with blindness and low vision to participate in learning with a strong focus on future employability.

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