The Facebook page of the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University has announced newly published research by Ajarn Saranya Tarat of the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology.
The article, Education and Cultural Capital Accumulation: The Life Course of Blind People, was published in the Journal of Mekong Societies, volume 16 no. 2 May–August 2020.
The Thammasat University Library collection contains a number of books about the social and educational issues created by blindness.
As its homepage explains,
The Journal of Mekong Societies (JMS) is an international, double-blinded, peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on the Mekong region in Southeast Asia. JMS is published every four months in print and as an online open access journal. The Journal publishes original and quality research articles, review articles and book reviews in humanities and social sciences disciplines covering a variety of important topics in Mekong river-basin countries: society, culture, history, ethnicity, religion, language, literature, communications, information, architecture, art, environment, and development. Topics should be related to the Mekong region or its member countries, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. JMS provides a platform for researchers, professionals, and graduate students to contribute innovative work. Articles must be written in English. Submitted manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers in the relevant fields.
The article’s abstract reads:
This article analyzes how the cultural capital of blind and visually-impaired people is formed and accumulated through education, which affects their life course. As research methods, the study used interviews with and participant observation of 11 blind and visually-impaired persons and nine teachers in schools for the blind. Data were analyzed based on the framework of Pierre Bourdieu. The study found that parents’ perspectives of disability had great influence on the school admissions of their visually-impaired children. Pedagogy in schools for the blind was important in forming and accumulating cultural capital in life skills, academic skills, and attitudes toward disabilities and society. Moreover, the blind persons developed social capital in the schools, which enabled them to study in inclusive education and live in society. Academic and social knowledge led to the development of habitus and independent living. Visually-impaired people’s cultural capital was transformed into other types of capital, job opportunities, earnings, and social recognition. Moreover, their social participation demonstrates that disability is socially constructed, as people with disabilities can live independently and contribute to society. However, even if visually-impaired people are relatively wealthy, their social position remains unequal because other people consider their disability rather than their ability.
All TU students know about the existence of the Thailand Association of The Blind and the Foundation For The Blind in Thailand under the Royal Patronage of H.M. the Queen, as well as the Christian Foundation for the Blind in Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King; the Thailand Caulfield Foundation for the Blind under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Ratchasuda College, Mahidol University, all of which accomplish much-needed work.
Last year, The Nation reported on other initatives to improve the social and educational condition of blind people. As the report noted,
people with “print disabilities” have minimal access to books, textbooks and other print materials in a format they can read due to conditions such as blindness, poor vision or paralysis. They therefore require accessible formats such as braille, audio, ebooks and large print. Thailand has recently acted to end the book famine by joining the international Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.
The Marrakesh Treaty came into force two weeks ago. The World Blind Union estimates that less than 10 per cent of published books are published in formats accessible to people with print disabilities. In developing countries, that number falls to less than 1 per cent. This lack of accessible formats is a violation of their right to information and knowledge. It prevents them from receiving an adequate education, getting a decent job, appreciating culture and fully participating in society. In Thailand, statistics show that people with disabilities are being left behind. For example, less than 1 per cent of people with disabilities receive higher education, as compared with 16 per cent for the general population. While Thailand has a very low unemployment rate of around 1 per cent for the general population, it jumps to 60 per cent for people with disabilities, although recent years have seen increasing government efforts to improve their employment opportunities. Not only do these disparities and exclusion prevent people with disabilities from maximising their potential and living with dignity, they also cause significant losses to Thailand’s economy. Exclusion of people with disabilities from the labour market (which includes lower education as a factor) cost Thailand 4.6 per cent of its GDP, according to a 2007 study by the International Labour Organisation. In other words, creating a disability-inclusive environment will produce enormous benefits for the economy and the country as a whole. The Thai government understands the benefits of disability inclusion and continues to make international commitments to advancing the rights of people with disabilities. Recent examples include Thailand’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016 (the first and only Asean member state to join so far), as well as the accession to the Marrakesh Treaty this year. These reflect Thailand’s commitment to the principles of “leaving no one behind” and “reaching the furthest behind first” that underpin the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals (SDGs). The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted in 2013 to end the book famine by creating international legal frameworks on copyright exceptions and limitations. The Treaty makes it legally easier to produce and share accessible-format copies of copyright works both within and across borders. “Authorised entities”, which include government agencies, libraries and disabled people’s organisations, can create and share accessible format copies of legally-obtained works without seeking the copyright owner’s consent. The Marrakesh Treaty will improve equal access to knowledge and information in Thailand by expanding a national collection of accessible format copies and its availability and reach. It can help build a virtual library for people with print disabilities where they can access books, textbooks, journals and other published works in accessible formats, just as the general population can go to school or public libraries to read and borrow books. Under the Marrakesh Treaty, Thailand can also access large collections of accessible format copies available from all other party countries (nearly 80 and growing), including the US (from early May), the European Union and Japan. It can expand educational, career or cultural opportunities for persons with print disabilities ranging from those who study foreign languages or literature to those who seek the latest scientific knowledge.Finally, the Marrakesh Treaty contributes to strengthening Thailand’s disability response by engaging new, non-traditional disability stakeholders including the Commerce Ministry, which is the custodian of the Copyright Act, and the publishing industry. The Treaty will help transform perceptions on creating an enabling environment for persons with disabilities, from those based on charity to human rights, and from financial burdens to investments with solid economic and social returns. In our era of population ageing with an associated higher risk for developing a print disability, anyone could potentially become a beneficiary of the Treaty. Thailand is projected to become a super-aged society in 2031, when almost one in three people will over the age of 60…
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states. Its dedicated webpage to the WIPO-administered Marrakesh Treaty includes a copy of a filled-out questionnaire on cross-border accessibility with information from Thailand. In further developments, in 2017 Jira Chana-boriboonchai, a student at the Bangkok University International School of Entrepreneurship and Management, successfully founded an enterprise that makes T-shirts and accessories for the blind. His garments include the Braille tactile writing system at the back of each collar, giving information about color and size. T-shirts, handbags, and hats were specially designed, and sighted customers too are attracted by the new products.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)