Phase Three: 2015 onwards

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Principal Investigators

Transition: empowering visually impaired young people as they move to adulthood

Phase three of the Longitudinal Study has been funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust. This phase has two key aims. 

Aim 1: Tracking of young people as they become independent

We aim to continue tracking our cohort of young people as they follow their transition journey into adulthood. We intend to focus particularly on their experiences as they seek to live independently and seek employment. 

Aim 2: Innovative resource development

Our recent research has captured the experiences of 80 young people (and those working with them) over a five year period. We are keen to take these research findings – these experiences – and develop practical resources which will support social change by supporting young people through more successful transitions into employment, adulthood and independent living. 

Through this phase of research we seek to investigate the following research questions:

  1. What are the experiences of the young people as they:

(a) Enter the labour market (including their use of the ‘Access to Work’ scheme)?, and

(b) Seek to move from the family home into independent living?

  1. How well prepared are the young people for this transition, and what factors influence this (e.g. educational experience and outcomes, mobility and independent living skills)?
  2. What barriers (and enablers) are faced by young people with visual impairments when looking to make this transition?
  3. How do and can services help young people with visual impairments make the transition into independent living?
  4. How can the research findings (and the planned resource materials and guidelines) be best utilised to improve transitions journeys for young people with visual impairments?

Phase Three reports: