Financial inclusion: perceptions of visually impaired older Nigerians

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore areas of challenge in managing personal finances among visually impaired older people, with critical appraisal of current structures available in financial institutions for equal access to financial services. The paper intends to create understanding of the drawbacks to financial inclusion from the perspectives and experiences of older people with vision impairment in Nigeria as well as highlighting areas where support is/are needed to tackle digital exclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a qualitative approach, interviewing 30 visually impaired older adults, aged 60 years and over. Participants were drawn from a voluntary organisation for people living with vision impairment in Southwest Nigeria. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using qualitative data analysis software – NVivo (version 11).

Findings

Results provide clear insight on the nature of the challenges faced by visually impaired older people, particularly with managing finances on computer-enabled platforms. The findings also revealed fears and hopes of this group about the rapid evolution of technologies for managing finances.

Originality/value

The study critically explored an understudied population, showing peculiar challenges and made a case for inclusive designs that are useful for digital inclusion of this population.

Citation

Okonji, P.E. and Ogwezzy, D.C. (2018), "Financial inclusion: perceptions of visually impaired older Nigerians", Journal of Enabling Technologies, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 10-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-08-2017-0033