Elizabeth Lalonde

Topic

An Interpretive Analysis of the Effectiveness of Non-traditional or ‘Structured Discovery’ Blindness Rehabilitation in Canada from the Perspective of Blind Service Recipients and Teachers

School of Public Administration

Date & location

• Thursday, December 11, 2025

• 1:30 P.M.

• Human and Social Development Building

• Room A302

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Sarah Wiebe, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Walter Lepore, School of Public Administration, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Jaipreet Virdi, Department of History, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Sandra Gibbons, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, UVic 

Abstract

Blindness rehabilitation in Canada has traditionally emphasized maximizing residual vision and functional skills through prescriptive, vision-centered methods. While these approaches provide supports, they often reinforce dependency and limit adaptability for people facing progressive vision loss. Structured Discovery, an alternative model that originated in the United States, reframes blindness as a characteristic rather than a deficit and emphasizes non-visual skill development, problem-solving, and empowerment through the mentorship of blind instructors and peers. Despite its influence in the United States, Structured Discovery is largely absent from both practice and scholarship in the Canadian context. 

This thesis explores how blind Canadians experience Structured Discovery training as participants and teachers. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and grounded in Critical Disability Theory, the study examines how individuals make sense of their training experiences, the skills and perspectives they gained, and how they compare Structured Discovery to more traditional rehabilitation services. The researcher conducted ten qualitative interviews with Canadians directly engaged in Structured Discovery programs, including those delivered through the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind (PTCB), one of the few Canadian organizations applying this model. 

This study makes several contributions. It represents the first academic examination of Structured Discovery in Canada and addresses a gap in both disability studies and rehabilitation research. It provides practical insights for rehabilitation practitioners by showing how empowerment-based, non-visual training can better prepare blind people for independence and social participation.