Metaphoric perceptions of families with children with visual impairment regarding assistive technologies

Abstract

This research aims to ascertain the metaphorical perceptions of families with children with visual impairment regarding assistive technologies. The phenomenological pattern, a qualitative research approach, was utilized in this research. Fifty-four families with children with visual impairment participated in this research. The research employed a data collection tool comprising two sections. The first part captured the demographic information of the families, while the second part featured an open-ended questionnaire containing the prompt, "Assistive technologies are like/similar to… because..." The research data underwent content analysis. Ultimately, the researcher identified 47 distinct metaphors that families with children with visual impairment associated with assistive technologies. Overall, metaphors such as "eye," "family," "friend," "book," "light," "school," "compass," and "star" were prominent. Furthermore, the researcher categorized the metaphors devised by the families with children with visual impairment into six distinct themes: "support," "guidance," "education," "facilitating life," "entertainment," and "independence."