Topic: Disasters, terror and stress management

European Network for Psychosocial Crisis Management – Assisting Disabled in Case of Disaster, EUNAD

Conduction of a qualitative study about experiences with accidents, disaster situations and coping with post-traumatic reactions among visually impaired in Norway.

 
2013 This project has been completed 2014

Project Manager

  • Heir, Trond

    Heir, Trond

    Research Professor/ Professor University of Oslo / dr. scient.

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Project Members

Main objective

The overarching aim is to achieve knowledge that may be helpful in developing measures that can help people with visual impairments during and after disasters.  Such knowledge will be beneficial to national, regional and local authorities in planning and organizing for emergency and lead to better care for disabled people during and after serious incidents.

The project will expand the established knowledge of a vulnerable population.

Method

We want to collect examples of how blind and visually impaired people experience safety and risk, disaster situations and how they cope with posttraumatic stress after accidents, violence, and disasters. This will be achieved through discussions in focus groups and individual interviews with 10 – 15 visually impaired persons. Inclusion criteria will be experience of potentially traumatic events. The selection will be done with variation in relation to age (down to 18 years), gender and types of trauma. The material will be analyzed qualitatively. Results will be available in English as well as oral presentation in a joint seminar with the other participating countries in this European study.

Further information

Collaboration with the Norwegian Association of the Blind.

Publications

Saur, R., Hansen, M., Jansen, A., & Heir, T. (2017). Visually impaired individuals, safety perceptions and traumatic events: a qualitative study of hazards, reactions and coping. Disability and Rehabilitation, 39(7), 691-696. doi:10.3109/09638288.2016.1161836