Medical students' perspectives of blindness, deafness, and deafblindness

Blindness and deafness are important, and possibly, the least redeemable deficits. This study assessed the perspectives of final year medical students, who had gone through two months Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology clinical postings, regarding these special groups of individuals.

A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect information on respondents' demographic characteristics and their perception towards people with hearing and visual handicap.

Almost 60% considered blindness worse than deafness while only about 6% considered deafness worse. Blindness (29.8%), deaf/blindness (26.1%), mental retardation (15.5%), and quadriplegia (14.3%) were the main handicaps regarded as worst. Only 4(2.5%) thought deafness was the worst handicap. A much greater proportion (53 - 61%) considered blindness had a greater effect on education, social interaction, family relationships, and overall potential development than deafness (6 - 20%). The majority, 80%, knew a blind person who was famous, 29% a deaf person who was famous, and only 14% a deafblind person who was famous. On a three-point grading, 70% had a moderate attitude as to how their life would be different if they were blind, deaf, or deafblind. Only 56.9% responded to this question.

The students viewed blindness as a far worse disability than deafness; and consider that deaf/blindness has an exponential effect.