Orientation to the family of people with visual impairment as a resource for the occupational therapist

Abstract

Visual impairment generates implications to the person and the family system. As the family is supported and strengthened, this can become the key to development and social participation of visually impaired family member. For this purpose, the occupational therapist is qualified professional to use the feature of the orientation to intervene with the family of these persons. This study aimed to identify the status of performance of occupational therapists in Curitiba/PR focused to advising parents and caregivers of persons with visual impairment through a qualitative exploratory and descriptive research. The results pointed to the importance of orientation as a possible intervention occupational therapist, showing the relationship of this approach to family participation and contribution to the advancement of persons with visual disabilities. Difficulties encountered in professional practice and the constraints faced by professionals to effect the completion of the guidelines related to institutional rules were observed. The results obtained corroborate the literature, however there is the need to continue the research on the topic, given the scarcity of theoretical material in this area.