중도시각장애인의 사회적 고립 경험에 관한 질적 사례연구 = A Qualitative Case Study of the Social Isolation Experiences of People with Acquired Visual Impairments

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns and processes of social isolation experienced by individuals with acquired visual impairment following the onset of disability. To achieve this, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 individuals with acquired visual impairment residing in Gyeongsangbuk-do. A qualitative case study approach was employed, including both within-case and cross-case analyses.
As a result, 6 categories, 17 subcategories, and 91 meaning units were identified. The 6 categories were: （1） disconnection from the familiar world due to the loss of sight, （2） becoming an alienated existence in everyday life transformed into a disaster, （3） compromise through pretending to see or being required to prove one's disability, （4） barriers of the world that are difficult to overcome alone, （5） the burden and suffering that must be endured alone, and （6） rebuilding life within new relationships.
The findings revealed that, for individuals with acquired visual impairment, the loss of visual function itself marked the starting point of social isolation, and every aspect of everyday life came to be perceived as threatening and disastrous. Participants also tended to conceal their disability by pretending to see or were required to repeatedly explain and prove their disability in response to misunderstanding and skepticism from others. However, they were able to move beyond social isolation through appropriate interventions and support, including their own internal motivation, support from significant others, and opportunities for economic participation.
This study is significant in that it expands the existing concept of social isolation by reinterpreting the social isolation experienced by individuals with adventitious visual impairments around the sensory experience of invisibility. Furthermore, it was confirmed that their social isolation should be understood as a changeable process rather than a fixed state. Based on these findings, the following suggestions are proposed. First, in social work practice, it is necessary to provide customized outreach services for the early stages of vision loss and support for forming relationships with peer visually impaired individuals and local communities. In addition, to create an environment where individuals with adventitious visual impairments are not excluded from society, awareness improvement activities should be conducted for the local community. It is also crucial to support role recovery and social participation through economic activities by maintaining existing jobs as much as possible or developing various duties for the visually impaired. Lastly, the public sector needs to preemptively and actively provide necessary information and support, and the vehicles and manpower of the Living Support Center for the Visually Impaired should be expanded to guarantee the right to mobility, which is the basis of social participation. Furthermore, the subjects and scope of application of the Loneliness and Isolated Death Prevention Act and the Integrated Care Act should be reviewed to eliminate blind spots in policy, thereby preventing and mitigating the social isolation of individuals with adventitious visual impairments.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• (Abstract)
• Ⅰ. 서 론 1
• 1. 연구의 필요성 1
• 2. 연구목적 및 연구질문 6
• Ⅱ. 문헌고찰 8
• 1. 사회적 고립 8
• 2. 중도시각장애인의 특성과 사회적 고립 22
• Ⅲ. 연구방법 35
• 1. 질적 사례연구 35
• 2. 연구참여자 및 자료수집 36
• 3. 자료 분석 40
• 4. 연구의 윤리적 고려 41
• 5. 연구의 엄격성 43
• Ⅳ. 연구 결과 46
• 1. 개별 사례 분석 46
• 2. 사례 비교 분석 61
• Ⅴ. 논의 110
• Ⅵ. 결론 115
• 1. 연구 요약 115
• 2. 연구의 함의 117
• 3. 연구의 한계점 및 제언 122
• 참고 문헌 124
• 부록 136