Abstract

Two major themes emerged from a qualitative case study on the 2017 hurricane season in Puerto Rico and its impact on people with visual impairments. The first theme was independence as it related to personal autonomy. The second theme was abandonment as expressed by people with visual impairments from informal social systems and formal institutions. Interviews were utilized in Puerto Rico of people with visual impairments, representatives of organizations serving people with visual impairments, and relief agencies. The more skills in independence a person with a visual impairment had, the higher their wellbeing throughout the hurricane season. Abandonment prevented participants from navigating the 2017 hurricane season to their maximum capability. Independence and abandonment are discussed separately, how they influence each other, and how these themes extend to other disabilities and in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Points of interest

• Some people with visual impairments had training to live independently and they found it useful in living through the hurricanes.

• Some people with visual impairments did not have much training to live independently and they said that if they had it, it would have been a great help during the hurricanes.

• People with visual impairments in Puerto Rico did not feel that organizations met their needs very well through the hurricanes.

• People with visual impairments in Puerto Rico said that society tries to take care of them too much and that this is a reason they do not get the independence skills they need.

• The more that people with visual impairments, or anyone with a disability, receives skills in independence, the less they will feel that they are not a part of the rest of society.

摘要

关于 2017 年波多黎各飓风季节及其对视力障碍者的影响的定性案例研究出现了两个主要主题。第一个主题是独立性，因为它与个人自主权有关。第二个主题是来自非正式社会系统和正式机构的视力障碍者所表达的放弃。在波多黎各，对视力障碍者、为视力障碍者服务的组织代表和救济机构进行了采访。视力障碍者的独立技能越多，他们在整个飓风季节的幸福感就越高。遗弃使参与者无法在 2017 年飓风季节发挥最大能力。独立和放弃分别讨论，它们如何相互影响，

• 兴趣点

• 一些有视力障碍的人接受了独立生活的训练，他们发现这对度过飓风很有帮助。

• 一些有视力障碍的人没有接受太多独立生活的训练，他们说如果他们有，那在飓风期间会有很大的帮助。

• 波多黎各有视力障碍的人认为组织在飓风中不能很好地满足他们的需求。

• 波多黎各有视力障碍的人说，社会试图过多地照顾他们，这是他们没有获得所需的独立技能的原因。

• 有视力障碍的人或任何有残疾的人获得的独立技能越多，他们就越不会觉得自己不是社会其他部分的一部分。