Penyuluhan Kesehatan pada Siswa SLB A: Analisis Masalah dan Strategi Pemberdayaan Berbasis Komunikasi Multisensori

Abstract

Fulfilling the right to health for children with visual impairments in Special Schools for the Blind (SLB A) continues to face structural and cultural challenges. This group is particularly vulnerable to health issues such as personal hygiene, reproductive health, and oral and dental health. Such vulnerability stems from disparities in health literacy caused by the predominance of visually oriented (visuocentric) health promotion media. This article aims to identify and comprehensively analyze the barriers to health education among students in SLB A, as well as to formulate alternative empowerment-based solutions through the development of inclusive educational media and methods. Using a literature review approach grounded in Empowerment Theory and the participatory communication model, this study examines the issues through three dimensions: technical, methodological, and social. The findings indicate that conventional lecture-based methods without tactile and auditory sensory stimulation significantly reduce information retention among students with visual impairments. As a solution, the article proposes technological approaches through the integration of Braille texts, audiobooks, and three-dimensional (tactile) learning aids; methodological approaches through multisensory educational strategies (hand-over-hand) and peer education; as well as a paradigm shift toward the Social Model of Disability. The implications of this study emphasize that health promotion for students in SLB A will only be effective when it moves beyond passive instructional models and adopts multisensory facilitation that empowers persons with disabilities as active participants in the learning process.