Interactive skills and social skills are valued in today's service society. In addition to work, interactive skills are crucial when building a social network. Social relationships are empowering, enable social support and significantly increases well-being.
Social competence can be described from many different perspectives. Social skills, socio-cognitive skills, adaptive behaviour, self-image and motivation influence a person´s ability to create positive interactions. Learning social skills is mainly based on visual observation and assessment of consequences. The purpose of the study was to determine how the lack of visual information affects the development of social competence, what the challenges are that blindness brings to social interactions and how the interaction of visually impaired children should be supported. Foreign and domestic studies about social relations of visual impaired children and adolescents were selected as background theory. In addition, four blind Finnish adolescents who had no other disability affecting their social competence were interviewed. The material was analysed by using theory-based content analysis where findings are compared to previous research. The results highlighted the difficulty of joining groups and making new contacts as well as the challenges caused by poor self-image and prejudice. According to the respondents, the opportunity to participate as independently as possible in the activities of others were supportive to their social skills. Parents play a key role in supporting the development of their children and adolescents to equal members of society. However, they also need support from rehabilitation counsellors and other professionals with knowledge of visual impairments.