Exploring nature experiences of people with visual impairments

• Bryony Shaw ^[1] ; Adrian Coyle ^[2] ; Birgitta Gatersleben ^[1] ; Simon Ungar ^[3]
  1. [1] University of Surrey

     University of Surrey

     Guildford District, Reino Unido

     
  2. [2] Kingston University

     Kingston University

     Kingston upon Thames, Reino Unido

     
  3. [3] Wandsworth Schools and Community Psychology Service

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• Localización: PsyEcology: Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology / Revista Bilingüe de Psicología Ambiental, ISSN-e 1989-9386, ISSN 2171-1976, Vol. 6, Nº. 3, 2015, págs. 287-327
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/21711976.2015.1026086
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Vivir la naturaleza con una discapacidad visual
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Dialnet Métricas: 2 Citas
• Resumen
  • español

    Los efectos beneficiosos para la salud física y psicológica asociados a la exposición a los entornos naturales son harto conocidos. Sin embargo, investigaciones anteriores en este campo se han centrado casi en exclusiva en los aspectos visuales del entorno, pasando por alto en su mayor parte el papel que desempeñan los demás sentidos. Este artículo revalúa esos resultados, examinando el papel que desempeñan el resto de los sentidos en la vivencia de los entornos naturales de las personas ciegas. Entrevistamos a seis personas con discapacidad visual sobre sus experiencias de los entornos naturales y posteriormente analizamos las transcripciones de las entrevistas a través de un análisis temático. El análisis reveló que si los participantes se sentían seguros, declaraban sentir un efecto restaurador en la mayoría de los entornos naturales. De dicho análisis surgieron tres aspectos principales que contribuyen a un mejor conocimiento de los procesos implicados en la restauración psicológica: la restauración, los desafíos y el origen de las experiencias. Los participantes declararon sentir la restauración ambiental principalmente a través del sonido y, en menor medida, a través del tacto y el olfato.

  • English

    The positive psychological and physical health effects associated with exposure to natural environments are well recognized. However, previous research in this field has focused almost exclusively upon the visual aspects of the environment, largely ignoring the role of the other senses. This paper reassesses these findings by examining the role senses other than sight play in blind people’s experiences of natural environments. Six people with visual impairments were interviewed regarding their experience of natural environments; interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that if the participants felt safe, they reported experiencing restorative effects in the majority of natural environments. Three main themes that contribute to an understanding of the processes involved in psychological restoration emerged: restoration, challenges, sources of experiences. Environmental restoration was reported by participants as being mostly experienced through sound and to a lesser extent through touch and smell.

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