Achievers Who Are Blind Intrinsic Factors That Led Them to Achievement

Abstract

Blindness as a disability has always existed and every human being and every society has newline associated meanings, symbolism and imageries to the word and concept of blindness . This newline phenomenological study aims to understand the meaning achievers, who are blind, attributed newline to blindness, achievement and the intrinsic factors that led them to achievement by studying newline their lived experiences. Achievers come from all walks of life. Achievers for this study are newline defined as individuals who were born blind or became blind and who went ahead to choose a newline profession of their choice (e.g. engineering, medicine, journalism and so on) and excelled in newline it. The researcher had a lived experience of losing sight as she grew up and also captured her newline experiences and reflections through an auto ethnography. newline Analyzing the lived experience of these participants, brings to light, how blindness causes newline victimization, the symbolic meanings people and societies attribute and therefore the newline inhibitions they pose and its consequences. The researcher proposes a Seesaw model , to show newline how these achievers have overcome and learnt to transition out of the victim end and adorn a newline victor (achiever) mindset. The meanings these achievers have attributed to blindness and newline achievement have changed over a period of time. While blindness caused fear, denial and newline shame in its initial phase, today all of them see blindness as a part of their design , an newline opportunity to innovate and as an opportunity to make a difference . As a way of studying newline the intrinsic factors, the extrinsic factors were also looked at. Studying intersectionality newline especially from a gender and socio-economic area showed the complexity of differentiating the newline consequences caused by these dimensions in an individual s identity. newline It is clear that the extrinsic and intrinsic does not exist in isolation as is summarized through an newline inclusion framework proposed by the researcher in the literature review, some of the key newline differentiating intrinsic factors that emerged include, taking charge/ownership , emotional newline agility and the willingness to fail and move forward . This study was done with a pedagogic newline intent, to translate the learnings from the lived experience of achievers with blindness to newline enable more blind children to learn and explore. newline The government, educational institutions, private workplaces and the larger society will need newline to come together with a focus to change 2 data points in this country 5% of the blind ever newline go for any form of higher education, and 9% of the blind in India have any form of employment newline iv(As per 2011 census). This metric has to be viewed in the context, that India as a country houses newline 25 % of the world s blind population. newline The recommendations in this research intends to newline and#61623; rekindle a change to some of these data points newline and#61623; start a journey of redefining blindness and the imagery of the blind in the minds of newline Indians newline and#61623; newline Inspire and change the lives of blind kids with stories and experiences that have been shared newline in this thesis. newline *This study was approved by IRB-Institutional Review Board in September, 2018. newline newline