Joanna Gładyszewska-Cylulko

The research presented in the article was conducted in Poland and Australia. It involved 60 participants: 30 people in Poland (19 women and 11 men) and 30 in Australia (14 women and 16 men). They were all university students (Wroc³aw and Melbourne Universities) aged 18–25. The null hypothesis was formulated as follows: there is no difference in how the abilities and needs of blind people are perceived in Poland and Australia. The findings of a study have confirmed hypothesis that here are many similarities between young people from different countries in terms of their attitudes toward the blind, what can be affected by some social and cultural changes in the world. Openness towards others as a feature of young people makes them a possible target audience for various activities aiming at social integration of the blind. Educational activities for young people should be designed to transfer and construct knowledge of abilities and needs of the blind, encourage the students to reflect on them and eventually deepen awareness and foster understanding of the blind and their problems.

The author has noticed that although there are mant' similarities between the blind and the par-tially sighted, there are also differences. Meanwhile, even in scientific literature for generał public both groups are treated as identical. Differentiating them is essential for, among other things, a better understanding of the determinants shaping the social identity of the blind and the par-tially sighted. The article presents the basic differences in functioning of visually impaired people and provides and overview of the studies on the subject in question. These studies concern, among other things, such aspects as the sense of otherness, victimisation, self-esteem, self-image, psychosocial functioning, the level of stress and anxiety, the identity crisis stage of development, the sense of the meaning of life, and the experienced support.