Tonel, Maita Sofia C
St. Paul University Iloilo- College of Nursing
Abstract Title:
Seeing Through Feeling: The Stories of Massage Therapists with Visual Impairment
Biography:
Maita Sofia C. Tonel, 21, is an incoming Level IV nursing student at St. Paul University Iloilo
and the principal author of this study. Together with her co-authors, Raizza Joy S. Tenefrancia
and Katrina L. Sarabia, under the mentorship of Ms. Sarah Jane T. Tajanlangit, she explores
meaningful narratives that promote inclusivity and human dignity. Since 2020, she has advocated
for persons with visual impairment through community involvement and service. She has served
the University’s umbrella organization, the Paulinian Student Council, as Senator (2023–2025),
President (2025–2026), and currently Vice President (2026–2027). She continues to serve
through youth leadership initiatives while pursuing nursing education with a commitment to
compassionate, inclusive, and person-centered care.
Research Interests:
Visual Impairments remains a significant factor influencing employment opportunities
and professional inclusion, particularly in healthcare-related occupations. Despite increasing
recognition of persons with disabilities in the workforce, limited studies explore how visually
impaired individuals experience and navigate professional practice in massage therapy within the
Philippine context. This study aimed to explore their entry into the profession, self-perceptions
and conceptualizations of care and healing, including how they adapt techniques through
heightened tactile sensitivity. This study specifically seeks to understand and describe the lived
experiences of massage therapists with visual impairment in Iloilo and Capiz, focusing on their
professional journey, identity formation, adaptive strategies in practice, and the meanings they
ascribe to care, healing and independence within their occupation. This qualitative study
employed a narrative inquiry design. Five massage therapists with visual impairment from the
provinces of Iloilo and Capiz, Philippines, were selected through purposive sampling with
maximum variation. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted
in accessible settings. Narratives were analyzed usingConnelly and Landini's narrative inquiry
framework. Findings revealed that visual impairment served as a life description that reshaped
participants educational and occupational pathways. Through massage therapy, participants
reconstructed their identities, transforming their work from a means of survival into a profession
grounded in dignity and independence. Touch emerged as a central mode of knowing and
therapeutic practice. Despite challenges such as stigma, physical demands, licensure barriers, and
financial constraints, participants demonstrated resilience supported by faith and social
networks.Visual impairment is a transformative experience that fosters identity reconstruction
and professional competence among massage therapists. The study highlights the importance of
inclusive policies and greater recognition of embodied knowledge in healthcare practice.
Keywords: Visual Impairment, healing, touch, massage therapy, identity reconstruction
