Research in VICTAR
As with all our work, our research is concerned with social and educational inclusion of people with vision impairment – this is linked to concerns for equity, social justice and enablers and barriers to inclusion. This is informed by theories of human development and learning, as well as theories of disability. Our research is far reaching but some overlapping themes include: young people and transition from school; literacy including braille; curriculum and curriculum access; adulthood and employment; international work.
Young people and transition from school
- The RNIB funded VICTAR to undertake a number small research and development projects concerning education (2015 - 2016)
- This RNIB funded research (2013-2018), was an evaluation of the Future In-Sight project which aims to support partially sighted and blind young people as they move from compulsory education into independent adulthood.
Literacy including braille
- This project investigated the braille dot elevation required when reading braille from pharmaceutical packages.
- This project investigated reading ability by assessing the reading of nearly 500 children with low vision using the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability
Curriculum and curriculum access
- VICTAR as assisting with the development, evaluation and implementation of the CFVI to support children and young people with vision impairment access an appropriate and equitable education.
- The main focus of the project was to devise and field test an appropriate service user mobility and independence tool
- Steps to Independence investigated the mobility and independence needs of children with a vision impairment and considered how best to support their learning. It includes recommendations and an interactive resource.
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- This project investigated and developed methods of supporting the social inclusion of children with a visual impairment at school.
Adulthood and employment
- This research (2010- 2013) aimed to improve the employment prospects for thousands of the UK's blind and partially sighted population by ascertaining key employment needs amongst blind and partially sighted job seekers.
- This project funded by RNIB, the Thomas Pocklington Trust, and Sense explores the experiences of the DLA to PIP policy change for people who have a visual impairment or a dual sensory impairment (deafblind).
- Network 1000 sought to survey the changing needs and circumstances of visually impaired people though a sample of 1000 visually impaired people from across the UK. It ran from 2006 - 2009
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- Members of VICTAR are actively engaged in researching a number of areas in deafblindness, this page provides an overview of their research.
- The aim of this work funded by RNIB is to investigate employment data which is available in this extensive data set in relation to the employment outcomes of blind and partially sighted people.
International work
- This research explored some of the ways teachers can support children with albinism in Malawi.
- This British Academy funded study was to identify the key determinants preventing young people with albinism from accessing education in five rural villages in northern Malawi.
- This research, funded by Sightsavers, lookedat parents'/carers' attitudes, beliefs and behaviour towards their children with visual loss in Malawi
- This project investigated ways to improve the early childhood curriculum and teaching methods of pre-school carers for young children with disabilities in Malawi.
- This research aimed to generate evidence for the diagnostic utility of items in neurodevelopmental screening tools for the early identification of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
- The Reach Forward Project funded by ESRC (2013-2015) aimed to address the exclusion of children with disabilities in Africa from quality education.
- Literacy for all was a study promoting and tracking over one year the development of braille literacy skills of a group of primary school children who are blind in Malawi.