Around the World Taking Culture into Account : A Ma ori Perspective on Visual Impairment

Jill Bevan-Brown and Taingunguru Walker There is substantial research evidence showing that ethnic culture affects how disability is perceived and managed, and that taking a person’s culture into account maximizes the effectiveness of the person’s education (Artiles, Kozleski, Trent, Osher, & Ortiz, 2010; Bevan-Brown, 2002; Massey University, 2002). Research on the cultural implications of visual impairment is relatively scarce, however, as are accounts of culturally appropriate provisions for students who are visually impaired and who are from ethnic minority groups. This article contributes to addressing this gap in knowledge by describing research that investigated the life experiences of persons who are visually impaired and Ma ori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. The study identified the general, educational, and cultural barriers faced by the participants and their suggestions for how these barriers may be overcome. Although the findings relate to a specific ethnic group, they raise issues that deserve consideration for all people who are visually impaired regardless of their ethnicity.