“I was informed the school would not search for a personal assistant for me”: insights from a qualitative study of teachers with partial sight, severe visual impairment, and blindness in post-soviet Uzbekistan

This phenomenological qualitative study explores the lived experiences of mainstream school teachers with partial sight, severe visual impairment, and blindness regarding their limited access to personal assistants, the difficulties they face in finding suitable ones, and assistants` insufficient competencies. The research gathers valuable insights from a range of stakeholders, including teachers with partial sight, severe visual impairment, and blindness, as well as their school administrations, colleagues, and field experts. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select the teachers and their school personnel. In contrast, a snowball sampling technique was used to identify and include field experts, thereby enhancing the research quality and ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. In total, 20 teachers with partial sight, severe visual impairment, and blindness, along with three school principals, one deputy principal, two colleagues, and two experts, all volunteers, participated. The findings reveal that mainstream school teachers encounter significant challenges with personal assistants, including not being provided with them, considerable difficulty finding appropriate personnel, and dealing with assistants who lack basic knowledge and essential skills. These challenges arise from a variety of sources, including policy limitations, personality differences, cultural barriers, and financial constraints. As a result, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan is recommended to review and revise its existing regulations on personal assistants for mainstream school teachers with partial sight, severe visual impairment, and blindness. Ultimately, this study can assist policymakers and government officials in gaining a comprehensive understanding of issues related to blindness, spanning from interpersonal interactions to broader disability legislation.