ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the barriers to post-registration courses and mainstream education for visually impaired physiotherapists and the strategies they adopt to overcome or reduce these barriers. It is based on the 20 interviews undertaken in the second phase of the study. Post-registration education is essential to all physiotherapists who wish to advance their careers. A major barrier highlighted by the physiotherapists was the use of visual aids, such as slides, blackboards and overhead projectors, without any alternatives. Some of the barriers the physiotherapists experienced gave rise to feelings of embarrassment and anxiety which could become barriers in themselves. Some of the physiotherapists were sufficiently proactive and assertive to explain their particular needs to course organisers. Coping strategies which involve assertion and attempts to modify the environment are congruent with the social model of disability. The visually impaired physiotherapists had mixed views about the closure of the facility and the inclusion of visually impaired physiotherapy students in mainstream universities.
