Qualitative study on social factors influencing the social inclusion of deaf-blind persons

Abstract

The article gathers the result of a qualitative investigation that discovers how certain social factors influence the autonomy and social inclusion of deafblind people. Four major social fields have been selected, based on their relevance in the lives of these people: family, social participation, access to resources, and Information & Communication Technologies. Through eleven in-depth interviews with deafblind people of different profiles (age, sex, marital status and employment status), 18 factors have been established that contribute positively (9) or negatively (9) in the development of personal autonomy and social inclusion of these people. The conclusions of the article provide a contribution of valuable evidence, both in the field of social policies aimed at the care and promotion of people with disabilities, and in the field of social intervention, especially in those processes whose objective is the promotion of personal autonomy and social inclusion of deafblind people.