ABSTRACT
Objective:
to know the perception of professionals from a specialized center in habilitation and rehabilitation, regarding the performance of speech therapists working with people presented with visual impairments, in an interdisciplinary team context.
Methods:
a qualitative research in which the content analysis was chosen, so as to allow data to be presented in analysis categories.
Results:
11 professionals participated in the research, including psychologists (2), a speech therapist (1), a physiotherapist (1), an ophthalmologist (1), a computer science teacher (1), a pedagogue specialized in Braille (1), a social worker (1), occupational therapists (2), and an orientation and mobility teacher (1). From the analysis of the data, three thematic categories were developed: A. Speech therapy and the development of functions of the stomatognathic system; B. Interfaces between speech therapy and education in the development of reading and writing skills, in cases of people with visual impairments; C. Speech therapy as a promoter of the development of communicative skills, language, interaction, and interpersonal relationships for people with visual impairments.
Conclusion:
the research participants considered the speech therapy work as paramount for the rehabilitation of people with visual impairments, and highlighted the fields of activity aimed at developing the functions of the stomatognathic system and working with oral and written language.
Keywords:
Rehabilitation; Vision Disorders; Health Services for Persons with Disabilities; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences