DE ALMUDÉVAR A LOS LLANOS DEL ALCORAZ

The three studies on the social experiences of visually impaired students in South Africa revealed very disturbing findings. These investigations, conducted at the University of South

112 Africa (UNISA) by Ngubane-Mokiwa (2013) and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal by Kasiram and Subrayen (2013) and Sukhraj-Ely (2008), were layered with accounts of bullying, prejudicial beliefs and sexual exploitation. Worryingly, no positive relationships were reported in these studies.

4.4.4.1 Perceptions of others

Studies showed that the attitudes towards visually impaired students primarily centred on perceptions of incapability (Sukhraj-Ely, 2008). In particular, they experienced that others, peers and lecturers, sometimes thought that they were incapable of pursuing a tertiary

qualification. For example, in the study by Ngubane-Mokiwa (2013) one participant spoke of this prejudicial belief and its emotional effects on her, “The first day I went to university for registration the security guards blocked me in the gate and they said that I am not supposed to be there. One said, „This is not a place for people like you‟. That statement does not leave my memory. It keeps flashing and it hurts” (p. 200). Furthermore, lecturers and peers sometimes did not value their contributions in class. As one person overheard someone saying, “she is blind, let‟s ask her a stupid question,” (Kasiram & Subrayen, 2013, p. 69). Another example could be found in a person recalling that her lecturer told her, “I do not believe you wrote this . . . there is no blind person who can type . . . who typed this assignment for you?” (Ngubane- Mokiwa, 2013, p. 201). Since visually impaired students were viewed as inferior, helpless and incapable, it is no wonder that peers were often over helpful towards them (Sukhraj-Ely, 2008).

These perceptions of incapability often had very real consequences for the students, especially regarding their future. Firstly, they were denied places on certain courses, because of the belief that they would not have been able to meet the course requirements and/or that they would not have been able to follow their chosen career path (Kasiram & Subrayen, 2013;

113 Ngubane-Mokiwa, 2013). An example of this, cited by both Kasiram and Subrayen (2013) and Ngubane-Mokiwa (2013), was when students wanted to study social work. They were told that, because they were unable to travel or read body language, they would not be able to pursue this career path. In these perceptions, there was no acknowledgement that visually impaired students could sense emotions through other means and that they could make their own arrangements for travelling. In this way, the possibility of agency and initiative of visually impaired students were overlooked.

Similar results were found in the study by Mayat and Amosun (2011). They observed that disabled students in South Africa were still excluded from certain academic fields like engineering and science. They therefore conducted a study through which they explored the perceptions of five lecturers in these course programmes. Even though the five participating staff members expressed willingness to teach disabled students, they clearly showed some reservations. Their initial thoughts centred around the perceived limitations of these students as they expressed concern that these students would not be able to meet all the course

requirements. One lecturer even wondered whether these students would not be an

embarrassment to their able-bodied peers. This study therefore showed the entrenched nature of medical model thinking, as lecturers saw the disability as the problem, rather than thinking of strategies to adapt the course. These discriminatory attitudes were neatly summarised by a participant in the study by Howell (2005), when she said,

An interesting issue for me is the refusal of academically sound students for courses that they qualify for, on the basis of disability. Disability is the only category of people who get refused entrance to courses who would academically qualify, which to me makes them an interesting category of people. (p. 37)

114 Then, when finally they were applying for employment, the perception of incapability

followed them, “Prospective employers believe that due to having a disability, the brain does not function so how can you achieve” (Kasiram & Subrayen, 2013, p. 70). It should therefore come as no surprise that some students did not declare their visual impairment on the

university‟s application and/or registration form (Ngubane-Mokiwa, 2013; Seyama, 2009).

At times, it seemed that the negative perceptions towards disabled students and the

consequent narrowed career paths were exacerbated by their race. As one participant in the study by Ngubane-Mokiwa (2013) proclaimed,

They said a blind person cannot do Maths and Science. When we reasoned with them that the blind white learners were allowed in their school for the blind to do Maths and Science, they said we should remember that we are black. That was the most painful experience for me; we had to stop doing Biology. (p. 196)

It is therefore clear that a medical model view of disability is still reflected in the perceptions of incapability directed towards visually impaired students. As seen from this section, this view is not only a perception, but it often holds real consequences for visually impaired persons. It may narrow their options and, as a result, keep them at the margins of society. Furthermore, it threatens the full inclusion of students in higher education and, even more disconcertedly, it may jeopardise their emotional well-being. This exclusion and its psycho- emotional effects, is reflected in the following quote, “For the past 44 years, my disability followed me every day. I am an outsider at home and feel like hanging myself” (Kasiram & Subrayen, 2013, p. 68).

In some extreme instances, the attitudes towards visually impaired students resulted in emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

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4.4.4.2 Abuse

Disturbingly, in the study by Kasiram and Subrayen (2013), visually impaired students

recounted instances of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. For example, some students said that they were frequently insulted and assaulted by family and peers. In residence, peers sometimes abused their power by insisting on payment when they helped visually impaired students. Even more disturbingly, was the fact that some visually impaired women felt powerless against sexual abuse.

It is thus clear how negative attitudes towards disability may have very real consequences for someone with an impairment.