Browsing by Author "Dunuwila, V"

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Open Access
Assessing Quality of Life of the Visually Disabled People in Sri Lanka using the Seven Domains of Personal Wellbeing
(Journal of Technology and Value Addition, Volume 3 (2), 2021: (23-46), 2022-10-02) Jayathilaka, M.D.R.K.; Dunuwila, V; Attale, D.S.C.; De Seram, H.S.H.; Sudusinghe, D. R.; Abeyrathna, H.A.P.I.; Suraweera, T.; Thelijjagoda, S.
Quality of life (QoL) of the disabled is of interest to social researchers, though in general, it is a concept somewhat overlooked by many nations including Sri Lanka. This study examines the extent to which the seven domains of the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) impact the QoL of people with visual disabilities in Sri Lanka. The PWI comprises of seven social indicators viz, standard of living, achievements in life, community connectedness, close relationships, health, safety and future security. The sample of visually disabled population for this study was obtained from, Hambanthota District, in Southern Sri Lanka, as it records the highest rate of vision impairment in the country. Data collection was performed through a tailored questionnaire and thereafter analysed to determine relationships between the above mentioned seven domains and QoL. Demographic factors such as age and gender were also examined. Results conclude that majority of visually disabled individuals, especially those in the 40-59 age group are satisfied with the seven PWI social indicators examined. However, the domain of future security remains a significant concern, while females appear to be dissatisfied in terms of close relationships, achievements in life and standard of living, in addition, community connectedness and achievements in life domains need to be addressed by the policymakers to sustain QoL among VIandB in Sri Lanka.
Open Access
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT AMONG YOUNG WOMEN DURING THE PANDEMIC SITUATION IN SRI LANKA
(Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, 2021-12-16) Michael, K; Vijayan, K; Selvam, M; Liyanage, W. R; Dunuwila, V; Navodika, K
Domestic Violence and Harassments are human rights violations that harm survivors. Although both men and women are impacted, and severity of domestic violence and abuse is substantially higher among women. The World Health Organization has estimated that one-third of women worldwide will experience domestic violence and harassment during their lifetime. The aim of this study is to investigate violence and harassment among young women in Sri Lanka, and sub-objectives are to explore the prevalence of violence and harassment among young women in Sri Lanka. This study is an exploratory investigation with a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative analysis. For the purpose of data collection, simple random sampling and snowball sampling methods were employed. Through the qualitative approach, the factors influencing personal factors, economic factors, social factors, and relationship factors were identified by the use of past literature. In the quantitative approach, the questionnaire was distributed among 384 participants. The study recognized region, family type, husband’s education, husband’s employment, economic pressure, marital type, number of children, culture as the dimensions of domestic violence against women and awareness respectively. The findings designate personal factors, economic factors, social factors and relationship factors have significant impact on domestic violence among young women during the pandemic situation. In addition, proactive control mechanisms are proposed to control the domestic violence and harassment among young women in Sri Lanka
Open Access
Exploring the Determinants of Migration Intention of IT Professionals: Evidence from Sri Lanka
(SLIIT Business School, 2023-12-14) Rathnayake, U; Jithmini, T; Amarasinghe, T; Alahakoon, S; Dunuwila, V
International IT professional migration occurs beyond national lines because of globalization and internationalism, with the goals of information sharing, obtaining higher living standards, as well as for economic reasons. This study aims to explore the factors influencing to the outflow migration of IT professionals in Sri Lanka. This study is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka during the time when the country was dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic crisis since it rests its originality on information acquired from the local arena. Higher migration rates is a significant concern to Sri Lanka, since second-largest export revenue generating industry is the IT sector. Researchers examined the connections between different factors' effects on migration intention. These studies illustrate some variation in worldwide migration intention factors and trends. They concluded that while the migratory intentions of some countries and identified variables are positively connected, others are negatively connected. Thematic analysis leading to a factor analysis were used in this study to collect data from Sri Lankans. Researchers have conducted interviews for this specific research objective which were followed by a questionnaire using mixed methods. In the results, rotated component analysis, which includes information about the relationships between each variable and the estimated components, is one of the most important outcomes of principle component analysis. As the conclusion, certain policies could encourage innovation, growth, and long-term economic development in Sri Lanka’s IT sector.
Open Access
Intelligent Vision Impaired Indoor Navigation Using Visible Light Communication
(Springer, Cham, 2020) Jayakody, A; Murray, I; Hermann, J; Lokuliyana, S; Dunuwila, V
Recent statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that over 253 million of the world’s population to be visually impaired. Most of these individuals use the white cane as an assistive tool or are often accompanied by caretakers or voluntary helpers as indoor navigation is particularly challenging for them. This chapter describes a substitute vision system designed to assist vision impaired individuals through the use of visible light communication and geomagnetism. Furthermore, the use of database optimization increases the speed and efficiency of data retrieval thus reducing system response time. Though navigation systems that support the visual impaired are readily available, there have been no systems that use both visible light communication and geomagnetism capable of providing accurate and secure indoor navigation assistance, which in turn would increase the overall satisfaction of the system users.
Embargo
Personal well-being index as a measure of quality of life of diverse groups of people with visual impairment and blindness
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2023-07-12) Jayathilaka, R; Dunuwila, V; Attale, D; De Seram, H; Sudusinghe, D; Abeyrathna, I; Suraweera, T; Thelijjagoda, S
Today, the world adopts various assessment tools and indices to measure quality of life (QoL) of different persons. The Personal Well-being Index (PWI) is a popular and validated tool used by developed countries to assess the QoL of their citizens. The PWI consists of seven major domains that define people’s QoL. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to explore the application of PWI in measuring the QoL of the visually impaired and blind (VI and B) persons in Sri Lanka, and to identify how QoL varies with their demographic characteristics. Primary data revealed among 64 VI&B, 34 blind and 30 visually impaired people from Hambanthota, was analysed based on vision level, age, gender, marital status, and the level of education. Results indicated that visually impaired (VI) respondents had a higher PWI value than that of the blind. Accordingly, the age group of 40–59 contributes to a higher PWI value than that of others; while the results signify that the PWI values basically depend on the levels of education the participants received. It is significant that the blind and the partially sighted people are concerned about their future security to a greater extent compared to the other domains in the PWI. Also, QoL was perceived to deteriorate with age. Thus, it is evident that efforts to improve QoL of people with visual disabilities requires priority to secure a fruitful and secure future for them.
Open Access
Personal well-being index as a measure of quality of life of diverse groups of people with visual impairment and blindness
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2024-04) Jayathilaka, R; Dunuwila, V; Attale, D; De Seram, H; Sudusinghe, D; Abeyrathna, I; Suraweera, T; Thelijjagoda, S
Today, the world adopts various assessment tools and indices to measure quality of life (QoL) of different persons. The Personal Well-being Index (PWI) is a popular and validated tool used by developed countries to assess the QoL of their citizens. The PWI consists of seven major domains that define people’s QoL. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to explore the application of PWI in measuring the QoL of the visually impaired and blind (VI and B) persons in Sri Lanka, and to identify how QoL varies with their demographic characteristics. Primary data revealed among 64 VI&B, 34 blind and 30 visually impaired people from Hambanthota, was analysed based on vision level, age, gender, marital status, and the level of education. Results indicated that visually impaired (VI) respondents had a higher PWI value than that of the blind. Accordingly, the age group of 40–59 contributes to a higher PWI value than that of others; while the results signify that the PWI values basically depend on the levels of education the participants received. It is significant that the blind and the partially sighted people are concerned about their future security to a greater extent compared to the other domains in the PWI. Also, QoL was perceived to deteriorate with age. Thus, it is evident that efforts to improve QoL of people with visual disabilities requires priority to secure a fruitful and secure future for them.