Emotional ‘journey’ of street beggars with vision impairment: a study from Ghana

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.