A inclusão social de pessoas com deficiência visual: realidade ou discurso?

Abstract

This study reflects on how people with visual impairment experience inclusion and social exclusion in their daily lives. With this research we seek to give greater visibility for a subject still so commonly hidden in our reality, visual impairment. According to OMS 2011, the world had 285 million visually impaired people, 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision; in Brazil for a total of 500 000 blind and 6 million people with low vision. But who are these people? Where are? How do you live? How to benefit from social policies that seek to ensure their inclusion? Visual impairment, although its prevalence is not well addressed in academia, and despite significant advances made from landmarks such as the ONU Convention (2006) the rights of persons with disabilities is still great a barrier to those who experience daily. The proposed study was conducted with people of different ages, who have visual impairment, users of social protection services. The methodology used was the case study, the main instrument to collect individual statements. It is therefore a qualitative study with special attention to respect social inclusion and exclusion, with the horizon expression within the protective public policies. By showing this reality, we hope to identify the main barriers to effective social inclusion of these citizens, and contribute to the improvement of protective public policies that favor this inclusion