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    Blind people can do anything but not in my company : employer attitudes towards employing blind and vision-impaired people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Inglis, Christine
    Previous international research has shown blind and vision-impaired people to be in the less favoured groups of employees employers are willing to hire. None of the research has addressed why this is the case. The present study was undertaken firstly to see if in New Zealand also, blind and vision-impaired people were less favoured in comparison with other disability groups as potential employees; and secondly, to determine employer attitudes and perceptions towards employing blind people, and how or why these attitudes and perceptions influence employers to overlook the blind and vision-impaired when employing staff. One hundred and two employers (sample 200) participated in a telephone survey and, of those, six were interviewed again in an in-depth face-to-face interview. A combination of attitudinal and perception survey instruments were used. The research found participants had mainly favourable attitudes towards blind and vision-impaired people. However, in total contrast, blind and vision-impaired people (alongside those with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities) were regarded the least suitable or least employable for positions most and second most often available in firms across all industries. The results were congruent with earlier findings (Gilbride, Stensrud, Ehlers, Evans & Peterson, 2000) in that of all of the disability groups, blindness and persons with moderate or severe (mental retardation) intellectual handicap were perceived as the hardest to employ in comparison with other disability groups. Lastly, this report comments on how potential hiring practices (employers' potential behaviour) can be changed to better match their apparent positive attitudes towards blind and vision-impaired people. A range of recommendations are made such as the need for education programmes in schools, media campaigns and cultivating positive media relationships, workplace training and education, employer mentoring programmes, the development of government policies and strategies and the need for work experience programmes.
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    Assistive computer technology and empowerment : the vocational experiences of blind and visually impaired New Zealanders : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) Williams, Wendy Elizabeth
    The technology revolution which has occurred in New Zealand over the past 30 years has introduced an array of assistive mainstream and specialised computer technologies (ACT) such as the internet, voice and braille output systems. These technologies compensate for the information access limitations of the blind and visually impaired and promise eventual empowerment. In a few years New Zealanders with sight impairments have travelled from print illiteracy to print literacy, and the memories of the change, its impact, its success and pitfalls are still relatively recent. This thesis seizes the opportunity to explore their impact on empowerment using the vocational experiences of visually impaired and blind people as a case study. Underpinned by a philosophy of empowerment, the study targets individuals who are themselves visually impaired, are of working age and have come into contact with ACT, along with relevant individual specialists and organisations. In methodological terms it is mainly qualitative with a pragmatic and complementary mix of focus groups, personal and specialist (key informant) interviews and a survey. The study discovers that ACT has indeed spawned a range of benefits for participants in their personal and social contexts. It has improved users' information management abilities. Improvement in information management has led to spin-off benefits such as communication, which facilitates social involvement and participation. Participation and improved management of information have improved ACT users' response capability, or their ability to respond to changes in their external vocational environments. These three benefits when applied to the work context have led to increased access for users to another set of personal and social, tangible and intangible resources available through paid and voluntary work and self-employment. However some persistent social barriers and underlying structural factors impede the empowering potential of ACT.
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    Exploring the match between people and their guide dogs : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Turitea, Aotearoa/New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Lloyd, Janice Kathryn Foyer
    The relationship between guide dog handlers in New Zealand and their guide dogs was investigated to identify the reasons why some partnerships are successful while others are not. A two-part study was designed to explore the match between the handler and the dog to improve the outcome of the matching process. A focus group discussion with people who had a range of visual acuity and experience with mobility aids was conducted as a preliminary measure to help develop the survey questionnaire that was used in the second part of the study. Fifty current and/or previous handlers, who had used a total of 118 dogs, were interviewed about their prior expectations and the outcome of the partnerships. Results indicated that the majority of matches were successful, and quality of life was improved for most participants because of using a dog. Around a quarter of the matches were considered unsuccessful, although not all mismatched dogs were returned. Mismatches arose predominantly from problems concerning the dogs' working behaviour followed by the dogs' social/home behaviour. However, dogs were also returned for health problems and a few were returned for personal issues concerning the handler. Compatibility between the handler and the dog, and the fulfilment of expectations were positively associated with better matches. Factors relating to mobility, including a handler's ability to control a dog, made the biggest contribution to success, but non-work related issues, such as companionship and enhancement of social interactions were also significant. Other factors that appeared to be associated with a good outcome included an accurate assessment of workload, having a good relationship with the guide dog instructor, and having a little useful vision - especially if this deteriorated over the time a dog was used. Other findings suggested that the use of a dog improved travel performance, regardless of how well the participants' perceived their travel ability to have been before the dog was acquired, and that second dogs were less favoured than the first ones. These results have permitted a series of recommendations to be proposed to the guide dog industry regarding characteristics of handler and dog that are important for a successful match.