The Lived Experiences of Teachers with Visual Impairments in the Inclusion of Students with Visual Impairments: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the lived experiences of teachers with visual impairments (VI) in the inclusion of students with VI. In this phenomenological study, data were collected from 8 teachers with VI through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis using a qualitative software program named MAXQDA20. The six themes identified from the content analysis were underlying issues in inclusion, personal guidance of teachers on students with VI, critical evaluation of inclusion, from diagnosis to the IEP implementation, the appropriate model of education for students with VI, and teachers' sense of inclusion. The findings revealed that teachers with VI contributed to the inclusion of students with VI. Furthermore, they emphasized system-related issues preventing inclusive practices and made critical evaluations concerning practices in inclusive settings. Based on the findings, inclusive classrooms and resource rooms should be equipped with educational tools (i.e., the braille alphabet, assistive technologies, tactile graphs and maps), teaching staff and their training should be enhanced, and school buildings should be designed as physically accessible and supervised by special education teachers who have expertise in VI or experience in working with students with VI.

Keywords

• Inclusion
• lived experience
• phenomenological study
• students with visual impairments
• teachers with visual impairments

Görme Yetersizliği Olan Öğretmenlerin Görme Yetersizliği Olan Öğrencilerin Kaynaştırma Uygulamalarına Yönelik Deneyimleri: Fenomenoloji Çalışması

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, görme yetersizliği (GY) olan öğretmenlerin, GY olan öğrencilerin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına ilişkin deneyimlerini ortaya çıkartmaktır. Fenomenolojik desenle yürütülen bu çalışmada veriler GY olan 8 öğretmenle yapılan yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yolu ile toplanmış ve MAXQDA nitel veri analiz programı kullanılarak içerik analizi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. İçerik analizinde belirlenen altı tema; kaynaştırmanın temelindeki sorunlar, öğretmenlerin GY olan öğrenciler üzerindeki kişisel rehberliği, kaynaştırmanın kritik değerlendirilmesi, tanılamadan BEP uygulamalarına, GY olan öğrenciler için uygun eğitim modeli ve öğretmenlerin kaynaştırma algısıdır. Bulgular, GY olan öğretmenlerin GY olan öğrencilerin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına katkı sağladığını ortaya çıkartmıştır. Bununla birlikte, öğretmenler sistemsel sorunların etkili kaynaştırma uygulamalarının önüne geçtiğini vurgulamış ve kaynaştırma uygulamalarına yönelik kritik değerlendirmeler yapmışlardır. Bulgulardan yola çıkarak, kaynaştırma sınıflarının ve destek eğitim odalarının eğitsel araçlar (örn. brail alfabesi, yardımcı teknolojiler, dokunsal grafik ve haritalar) açısından donanımlandırılması, öğretim kadrosunun ve eğitimlerinin zenginleştirilmesi, okulların fiziksel açıdan erişilebilir olarak dizayn edilmesi ve GY konusunda uzman veya GY olan öğrencilerle çalışma deneyimi olan özel eğitim öğretmenleri tarafından diğer öğretmenlere süpervizyon verilmesi önerilmektedir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kaynaştırma
• deneyim
• fenomenoloji
• görme yetersizliği olan öğrenciler
• görme yetersizliği olan öğretmenler

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