Gandhi Paradigm and Visually Impaired Youth

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This book examines the level of adjustment of the visually impaired youth and its influence on their subscription to the values of Mahatma Gandhi. Studying the demographic and disability details of the visually impaired youth, it assesses their adjustment level as well as their level of subscription to Gandhian values. It further examines the existing relationship between the adjustment level of visually impaired youth and their subscription to Gandhian values. The practicability of Gandhian values and its suitability to present day conditions have also been analysed.

Arivanandham is a professional Social Worker, did his under graduation at Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, MA, Social Work at Madurai Institute of Social Sciences, Madura, M.Phil. Social Work at Loyola College, Chennai, Ph.D., at Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram and training in rehabilitation at Birmingham University, United Kingdom He has twenty years work experience with visually impaired youth where at the National institute for the Visually Handicapped-Regional Centre, Chennai, an organisation functioning under the control of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. He has, as Research Officer, coordinated a number of Research and Development projects presently he is Centre's Regional Director.

The document of the Ph.D. programme pursued (2000-2005) at Gandhigram Rural University under the title "Level of Adjustment and Subscription to Gandhian Values A Study among Educated Visually Impaired Youth," after the award of the degree, has been taken up for publication in a book form by Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi. "Gandhian Paradigm and Visually Impaired Youth" is the title given to this book.

The population of the study, the visually impaired youth, although are an integral part of the society, tend to go off the main stream due to their differences and limitations. The role of rehabilitation is to endeavour to address their needs and integrate them in the mainstream. Advancement towards integration is their preparedness to play the desired role in the mainstream and fulfil the obligations towards their families and communities. To play these roles successfully, among other things, they need to acquire various skills, a good adjustment to the limitations caused by the impairment and to the external demands of the society and subscription to a set of useful and practical values.

In this study, the values of Mahatma Gandhi, which are acclaimed by modern philosophers and scholars as highly suitable for the present day and future conditions, have been accorded importance to be an integral part of the rehabilitation programme of visually impaired youth.

The adjustment level of the visually impaired youth is an important factor which will have strong impact on their thinking and behaviour. This study examined the level of adjustment of the visually impaired youth and its influence on their subscription to the values of Mahatma Gandhi. Hence, this study involved two variables: one independent, "level of adjustment," and the other dependent, "subscription to Gandhian values". Observation of the existing relationship between these variables was the main focus.

This diagnostic study had six clear objectives and in line with them twelve null hypotheses were formulated and tested. It used, besides an interview schedule, two well-structured instruments, one to study the adjustment level and the other to measure the subscription to Gandhian values. The area of study was Tamil Nadu and the respondents were drawn from institutions working for the visually impaired in four towns. They were selected through a probability sampling procedure, viz, complex random sampling method of selection of units in regular intervals from a prepared sampling frame, with due regard to a set of inclusion criteria. The total number of units were 240, both male and female equally distributed. The data, duly treated statistically through parametric test procedures, were elaborately discussed in three chapters. Student’s t-test, Analysis of Variance, Pearson's Correlation and Multiple Regression were the test procedures used. The study has brought out, regarding the independent variable "adjustment," that those belonging to the age group of 13 to 19 years were more adjusted than those in the age group of 20 to 35 years; visually impaired men were more adjusted than visually impaired women; no significant differences existed between different categories of visually impaired youth, viz., students, vocational trainees, employed and unemployed, in their level of adjustment and those belonged to higher income families had better adjustment than those belonged to poor income groups. Another significant finding was that training in independent living skills and the skill level have showed no influence on the level of adjustment. This brought to light the very poor quality of independent living skills training available to the visually impaired youth in Tamil Nadu.

**Contents and Sample Pages**