Everyday information behaviour of the visually impaired in China

Introduction. Visually impaired people in China are socially excluded in multiple ways, such as employment, social status and information access. The purpose of this study is to examine their information needs and information seeking behaviour. Method. Two ways of data collection were employed: a telephone survey with a questionnaire in the first round; fieldwork and face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured topic guide in the second round. Analysis. Statistical analysis and qualitative content analysis were used. Chatman's small world theory was applied. Analysis. The information needs of the visually impaired were focusing on real life problems. Broadcast media, people and networked source satisfied most of their needs. The visually impaired tended to have a small and unconnected social network. Their own experience, friends, and co-workers were the primary resources they would depend on in term of seeking job opportunities, emotional support and other social support. Situation-relevance, helpfulness and accessibility were used as criteria to judge the value of information and information sources. Conclusion. A small world life affects the information behaviour of the visually impaired and constructs meaning in it. New information and communications technology will help to break the small world for the younger generation.