Investigating the Effectiveness of Orientation and Mobility Training Program on the Psychological Well-Being of Blind Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 MA Student of Psychology and Education of People with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of People with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of orientation and mobility training program on psychological well-being of blind students in Isfahan. This research is quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. Twenty-four blind students were randomly selected from a school for the blind in Isfahan. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups and each group consisted of 12 students (6 girls and 6 boys). The experimental group participated in orientation and mobility training in 8 sessions (two sessions per week), while the control group did not. The Ryff (1989) Psychologıcal Well-beıng Scale (PWBS) was used to assess all participants. Data were analyzed using multiple analysis of covariance with SPSS version 26. The results showed that the experimental and control groups had a significant difference in the variable of psychological well-being. Indeed, the orientation and mobility program had a positive significant effect on psychological well-being and the subscales of autonomy, environmental control, personal growth, positive communication with others, and self-acceptance in blind students (P<0.001). Since the orientation and mobility program training improved the psychological well-being of blind students, the planning of such training programs as the orientation and mobility program plays an important role in the well-being of blind students.

Keywords


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