Mothering Children with Visual Impairment in Ghana: an Exploration of Expectations and Challenges

Objectives: The quality of parenting arguably determines the quality of life that a child will live in the future. Although both mothers and fathers are expected to contribute toward raising their children, in the cultural context of sub-Saharan Africa, mothers automatically become the primary caregivers and managers of domestic affairs. In the event that there are children with disabilities in a family, the mother is expected to be the carer. While having a child with a disability places an additional burden on mothers due to the child’s unique characteristics, there is only a small body of literature on mothering children with visual impairments (VI) in the African context. In a cultural environment such as that of Ghana, it is important to understand mothering experiences. Methods: Twenty mothers of children with VI who were at least 18 years old took part in this qualitative descriptive study. A semi-structured interview guide was developed and used to collect the data, which were then subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: opportunities for development, support services, and challenges faced by mothers. While the sample of mothers demonstrated high expectations, resilience, and a commitment toward raising their children, support services were unavailable to them. Conclusions: While shouldering all the caregiving responsibilities, the participants remained resilient, did not appear to be stressed, and were committed to raising their children with VI.