Date
10-16-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Constance Pearson
Keywords
self-advocacy, social cognitive theory, visually impaired students, transition services, self-efficacy, phenomenology, post-secondary education
Disciplines
Special Education and Teaching
Recommended Citation
Holloway, Catherine S., "A Phenomenological Study of Transition Services and Self-Advocacy for the Visually Impaired" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7568.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7568
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the self-advocacy skills used in transition services for visually impaired (VI) students who graduated from a public school in the southeastern United States. Bandura’s social cognitive theory expands on the importance of self-efficacy. It highlights the self-advocacy skills utilized to empower VI individuals to achieve goals and progress in post-secondary employment or education. The description of VI students’ self-advocacy experiences expanded on the exploratory nature of transition services and how they impacted VI students’ self-advocacy. The study used a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to the lived experiences of VI students from G school and surrounding schools. Purposeful sampling ensured that the 11 participants provided rich data on their experiences with transition services and the association with self-advocacy experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews, focus groups, and a journal prompt. Through thematic analysis, patterns, and meanings highlighted the challenges faced by VI students and underscored the self-advocacy experiences of VI students in transition services as they transition to post-secondary education or employment. The significant gaps from the study detailed the need for hands-on approaches with real-world experiences for VI students, which provides an empowerment that fosters confidence and resilience. The challenges with stereotypes and stigmas associated with VI individuals only encourage further investigation towards real-world scenarios, which promote independence and challenge the misconceptions about VI and their capabilities.
