Perceptions of Visually Handicapped Adolescents and Their Parents

This study considered the perceptions that visually handicapped adolescents have of their parents’ attitudes towards them and the extent to which visually handicapped adolescents have developed homemaking skills which are considered necessary for independence in daily living.The perceptions that the parents have of their child’s development of these skills and also the perceptions that the students have of their own development of these skills were also of concern. More specifically, the study had the following purposes: To determine how visually handicapped adolescents perceive the attitude that their parents have toward them. Do they perceive their parents as accepting, concentrating or avoiding them? To determine how visually handicapped adolescents perceive their own personal development of and participation in skills associated with self care and home living. To determine how the mothers and fathers of visually handicapped adolescents perceive their child’s development of and participation in skills associated with self care and home living. To determine if there is a relationship between the perceptions that visually handicapped adolescents have of their parents’ attitudes towards them and the self care and home living skills that have been developed by the adolescents. To determine if visually handicapped adolescents perceive their own personal development of and participation in self care and home living skills in the same way that their parents perceive their development of and participation in these skills. To determine whether any differences exist between the perceptions that totally blind adolescents have of their parents’ attitudes towards them and the perceptions that partially sighted adolescents have of their parents’ attitudes towards them. To determine whether any differences exist between the self care and home living skills that have been developed by totally blind adolescents and the self care and home living skills that have been developed by partially sighted adolescents. Advisor: Lois O. Schwa