Social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Students with visual impairments often experience emotional problems and encounter difficulties in forming and maintaining social relationships. Research indicates that the social support provided to these students by staff members and their peers in educational institutions may have a positive impact on their academic learning and socioemotional development. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to synthesise the results from 17 academic articles published during 1998 and 2018, which examined the topic of social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions. This review reveals that for students with visual impairments cooperation, empathetic behaviour, and practical assistance are the main components of social support. These students actively seek social support from staff members and peers, but they face many challenges, such as the lack of training and awareness. Support from staff members contributes to students’ academic learning and social inclusion, whereas peers’ social support enhances their self-esteem and social acceptance. The outlined positive effects of educational interventions on students’ social skills and social interaction support the need for implementing more interventions. The limitations of the studies reviewed and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Teaching Social Skills to Children and Adolescents With Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review

“…In their final conclusions, the authors stressed the need for future studies focusing on promising interventions where the efficacy is not yet clear, such as mobility and social skills. A second literature review (Manitsa & Doikou, 2020) concentrated on the types of social support delivered individually to students with visual impairments and no additional disability in educational institutions. Out of the 17 studies considered, the authors reported positive effects for 8 studies using educational interventions to improve diverse social inclusion domains for these students.…”

Linking perceived social support to self-esteem and social integration among adolescents with visual impairment: A cross-lagged study

“…Perceived social support refers to the subjective perceptions and beliefs about the social support received by individuals (Lakey and Scoboria, 2005). Based on their integrative literature review, Manitsa and Doikou (2022) summarized the major themes in existing research on social support for students with visual impairment including their experiences of social support in schools and universities and the impact of these social support on their academic learning and socioemotional development.…”

“…It has been documented in the literature that social support contributed to socioemotional development of students with visual impairment (see Manitsa and Doikou, 2022 for a detailed review). However, existing studies are mainly cross-sectional, and research on the unique influence of various sources of social support is insufficient.…”

“…Perceived social support refers to the subjective perceptions and beliefs about the social support received by individuals ( Lakey and Scoboria, 2005 ). Based on their integrative literature review, Manitsa and Doikou (2022) summarized the major themes in existing research on social support for students with visual impairment including their experiences of social support in schools and universities and the impact of these social support on their academic learning and socioemotional development. Research comparing perceived social support reported by adolescents with visual impairment with that reported by sighted adolescents showed inconsistent findings ( Pinquart and Pfeiffer, 2013 ; Hadidi and Al Khateeb, 2014 ), which may be attributed to social culture, educational placement, and construct conceptualization differences.…”

The strategies used by adults with visual impairment

“…Research to date on individuals with visual impairment generally focuses on children (Ball et al, 2022; Manista & Doikou, 2022; Philip et al, 2022) or older adults with visual impairment (Liu & Chang, 2020; Nastasi, 2020; Smallfield & Kadenberg, 2020). Little research addresses the lives of middle-aged persons with visual impairment (Caputo et al, 2022; Lund & Cmar, 2019) as services typically are provided upon onset of visual impairment at birth or as an older adult with age-related vision loss.…”