Emotional ‘journey’ of street beggars with vision impairment: a study from Ghana
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disability & Society
Abstract
This study sought to understand the experiences of street
beggars with vision impairment in Ghana. The study
employed a qualitative research approach, specifically phenomenology. Twenty-five (25) participants were purposively
sampled from three (3) busy streets in the Greater Accra
region of Ghana. Participants were interviewed using a
semi-structured interview guide and data collected was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Findings showed that visually impaired street beggars experienced personal losses such as jobs, relationships and independence. In addition, the results showed that participants
experienced daily challenges with regards to street begging.
Further, street beggars with vision impairment reported a
range of emotional experiences due to vision loss and street
begging. The findings are discussed in relation to enhancing
care and management of street beggars with visual impairments in Ghana.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Vision loss, well-being, quality of life