Co-operative inquiry: The development of a visual impairment prevention program initiative for two Aboriginal communities in South Australia

Abstract

Impaired vision and blindness are two serious health problems in Australian Aboriginals. In an initiative known as the Visual Impairment Prevention Program (VIPP) commonwealth funding was made available to each state/territory to improve eye status of the Aboriginal population. The South Australian Department of Human Services selected two Aboriginal communities to take part in this initiative. This paper outlines how Flinders University participated in this process.The aim was to conduct an eye program for Aboriginal health workers and develop eye health promotional resources for educational use in the Aboriginal community. The principles of Co-Operative Inquiry were used to guide the process. An evaluation indicated that both products were culturally acceptable to the Aboriginal community.