“For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier; for people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.” Mary Pat Radabaugh Considering the changes that technological evolution has provoked in the education system, this research, predominantly quantitative, intends to analyze the policy of inclusion in the reference schools for the education of blind or visual impaired students; the potential and impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the teaching and learning of these students and perceptions of teachers about their knowledge, teaching and training in this area. ICT cannot be dissociated from the pedagogical practices adopted with these students so, teachers are required to get a greater preparation and selection of information and educational resources adapted to the visually impaired. Thus, for the study and understanding of this reality, it is essential to assess the opinion of the professionals who work daily in the educational process of blind or visual impaired students. As a method of data collection was adopted a questionnaire survey, that has been applied to teachers who teach blind or visually impaired students of 2nd and 3rd cycles of primary and secondary education in the current school year (2012/2013), in the forty-one reference schools for the education of these students, in mainland Portugal. The results reveal a sample confident in their technological capabilities, however with little resourcefulness in some tools and applications specific to the area of visual impairment and blindness, and a very significant number of teachers ignoring many of these. The implementation of ICT with visual disabilities is lower compared with the sighted students. Another finding is that the lack of specific training is considered the main obstacle for teachers, with regard to a real integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of these students.
Date of Award | 2013 |
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Original language | Portuguese |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | António Andrade (Supervisor) |
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- Visual impaired
- Information and communication technologies
- Assistive technologies
- Teacher training
- School learning
- Inclusion
- Questionnaire survey
- Mestrado em Ciências da Educação
Ver através da cegueira: avaliação da implementação das TIC nas escolas de referência para a educação de alunos cegos e com baixa visão
Ramos, S. I. M. (Student). 2013
Student thesis: Master's Thesis