Cushley Laura N, Mo Matthew, Peto Tunde, Jackson A Jonathan
Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK.
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Dec 20;21(12):1701. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121701.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges for all and especially for people with a visual impairment. As a result, many healthcare services had to close or be reduced, and new rules and regulations were implemented. These rules, regulations and testing procedures were challenging for many people with a visual impairment. Focus groups were conducted with sensory support workers at a regional sensory meeting in Northern Ireland. A set of semi-structured questions were asked about how services were conducted, the challenges faced by people with a visual impairment and any specific cases which showed its impact. Two researchers transcribed and analysed the focus group data. The analysis resulted in four themes, namely "as a result"; healthcare; rules, regulation and testing; and mental and physical health. Some of the biggest issues mentioned were access to healthcare, COVID testing, online working, online schools, one-way systems, social distancing and the impact on mental and physical health. As expected, COVID-19 impacted people with a visual impairment. This study shows some of the barriers faced by people with a visual impairment, especially with regards to the rules and regulations. People with a visual impairment also found it difficult to access the necessary healthcare and support, or they were too fearful to seek it out. This paper provides an insight into the barriers faced by people with a visual impairment and how we may support them in the future.
新冠疫情给所有人都带来了诸多挑战，尤其是对视力障碍者而言。因此，许多医疗服务不得不关闭或缩减，同时实施了新的规章制度。这些规则、规定和检测程序对许多视力障碍者来说颇具挑战性。在北爱尔兰的一次地区感官会议上，针对感官支持工作者开展了焦点小组讨论。围绕服务的开展方式、视力障碍者所面临的挑战以及任何体现其影响的具体案例，提出了一系列半结构化问题。两名研究人员对焦点小组数据进行了转录和分析。分析得出了四个主题，即“结果”；医疗保健；规则、规定与检测；以及身心健康。所提及的一些最大问题包括获得医疗保健服务、新冠病毒检测、线上工作、线上学校、单向系统、社交距离以及对身心健康的影响。不出所料，新冠疫情对视力障碍者产生了影响。这项研究揭示了视力障碍者所面临的一些障碍，尤其是在规章制度方面。视力障碍者还发现难以获得必要的医疗保健和支持，或者他们因过于恐惧而不敢寻求帮助。本文深入探讨了视力障碍者所面临的障碍以及我们未来如何为他们提供支持。
