Exploring the Academic and Social Integration of Students who are Blind and Visually Impaired Attending a Saudi Arabian University

Abstract

There is a dearth of evaluation and research on academic and social integration for college students who are blind and visually impaired (BVI), not only in Saudi Arabia, but around the globe. Failure to integrate students academically and socially at the university could affect the student's self-esteem, self-determination, and sense of belonging, which may ultimately lead to attrition. This exploratory study sought to understand the academic and social experiences of college students who are BVI in a public university in Saudi Arabia, from their perspective. A qualitative method was used to collect the data for this study. 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted. 14 students who were BVI and four administrators were interviewed. The interviews were conducted in Arabic and translated to English for the analysis. The results of the study revealed that the university, through the male and female disability centers, provided a number of academic and social services to support students who are BVI. The male and female students reported different experiences at the university, with the male students experiencing greater barriers than female students. Both male and female students reported academic and social barriers that prevented them from being fully included at the university. Some of these barriers included inaccessible course materials, inaccessible lectures, inaccessible physical environment, and inaccessible social events/activities. The administrators were aware of these barriers and were working towards remedying them. The findings revealed a need to 1) raise more awareness about blindness and how it affects the individual at the university through trainings and workshops for both students and faculty, and 2) conduct more research and evaluation about blindness and how blindness affects students academically and socially. The results can be used to develop disability awareness and assessment tools for the services and accommodations provided to students who are BVI.