The Blindness Equation

In this episode, join host Clairissa Richardson as she critically examines the concept of identity for people with blindness or visual impairment (BVI) through the lens of liberation health and critical disability theory. Clairissa provides research-informed critical education for health rehabilitation professionals, introduces the "blindness equation," and provides practical, discipline-specific tools and approaches to enhance the scope and comprehension of mental health needs for people with BVI. Scholarly References: Belkin-Martinez,D. (2014). The liberation health model: Theory and practice. (Eds.), Social justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work (pp. 9–28). Routledge. Bourgois, P.,Holmes, S. M., Sue, K., & , J. (2017). Structural vulnerability: Operationalizing the concept to address health disparities in clinical care. Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 92(3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001294 Brennan, M., Horowitz, A., Reinhardt, J. P., Stuen, C., Rubio, R., & Oestreicher, N. (2011). The societal impact of age-related macular degeneration: Use of social support resources differs by the severity of the impairment. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 105(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1110500102 Clapp, C. M., Pepper, J. V., Schmidt, R., & Stern, S. (2020). Overview of vocational rehabilitation data about people with visual impairments: Demographics, services, and long-run labor market trends. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 114(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x20901380 Dean, D., Pepper, J. V., Schmidt, R., & Stern, S. (2017). The effects of vocational rehabilitation services for people with mental illness. Journal of Human Resources, 52(3), 826–858. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.52.3.0114-6111r1 Demmin, D. L., & Silverstein, S. M. (2020). Visual impairment and mental health: Unmet needs and treatment options. Clinical Ophthalmology, Volume 14, 4229–4251. https://doi.org/10.2147/opth.s258783 Hiranandani, V. (2019). Towards a critical theory of disability in social work. Critical Social Work, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.22329/csw.v6i1.5712 Kant, J. D. (2014). Becoming a Liberation Health Social Worker. In D. B. Martinez (Ed.), Social Justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work (pp. 29–43). Routledge. Keay, L. J., Chang, K. J., Angell, B., Rogers, K., & Jan, S. (2022). Cost–benefit analysis of orientation and mobility programs for adults with vision disability: A contingent valuation study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45(5), 857–865. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2044523 Lund, E. M.,& Cmar, J. L. (2019). Factors related to employment outcomes for vocational rehabilitation consumers with visual impairments: A systematic review. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 113(6), 518–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x19885277 McDonnall, M. C., Cmar, J. L., & McKnight, Z. (2021). What predicts job quality of vocational rehabilitation consumers who are blind or have low vision? Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 66(2), 100–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/00343552211060012 Moya, P. (2006). What’s identity got to do with it? Mobilizing identities in the multicultural classroom. In L. Alcoff, M. (Eds.), Identity politics reconsidered (pp. 96–117). Palgrave Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement. Macmillan. Verschelden, C. (2017). Bandwidth recovery: Helping students reclaim cognitive resources lost to poverty, racism, and social marginalization. Stylus Publishing. Zapata, M. A. (2020a). An exploratory study of general self-efficacy and employment in adults with retinitis pigmentosa. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 114(1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x19900715 Link to modified structural vulnerability assessment tool https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n42WWaKe1RrSiG-iDPZeJbaWnOrK3Av5/view?usp=share_link