Abstract:

This literature review-based paper focuses on inclusive education (IE) for students with visual impairments. The aim is to determine whether Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can meet the specific needs of these students in an inclusive school. The paper provides a qualitative summary of the findings of 20 peer-reviewed articles selected from a pool of 2459 articles found in various databases such as Scopus, Sage Journals, ERIC, and Springer Open, published between 2018 and 2022. The literature review methodology [4] was followed, and the following keywords were used: inclusive education, UDL, inclusion of visually impaired students, and students with visual impairment. The articles that met the aim of the study were selected for further review. The findings indicate that the main issues addressed in the selected articles include: meeting the specific needs of students with visual impairments in inclusive schools; implementing UDL when teaching students with visual impairments; overcoming barriers that may arise in inclusive schools. Visual impairment is commonly referred to as a "low-incidence" and "high-needs" disability because it occurs rarely and may be part of multiple disabilities [2]. However, specialized teachers with specific competencies may be required to support students with visual impairment in accessing the general education curriculum. Students with severe visual impairment may need to learn Braille, orientation and mobility, as well as how to use assistive technologies [2]. The reviewed papers emphasize that in order to implement IE and ensure quality education for every student, including those with visual impairment, it is essential to use relevant teaching and learning strategies. UDL is receiving increasing attention, as one of its aims is to make learning more accessible for all students by providing information in a diversity of formats [1]. By using different techniques, such as Braille, and a variety of engagement practices and ways of expression, alongside multisensory methods, students with visual impairment can have the same opportunity to learn as their peers [3, 1]. To achieve successful IE, it is essential to consider a suitable, barrier-free learning and teaching environment, as well as to overcome challenges related to labelling and negative attitudes, lack of teacher competencies, learning materials, and necessary equipment [1, 3].

References:
[1] Areekkuzhiyil, S. (2022). Universal Design for Learning. Research Centre in Education, University of Calicut, Kerala, India. Edutracks, 21(4), pp. 19-22.
[2] Miyauchi, H.A. (2020). Systematic Review on Inclusive Education of Students with Visual Impairment. Education Sciences, 10(11), 346. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110346 (Accessed: 21 February 2023).
[3] Narvaez, M.A.B., Gomez, M.A.M., Jaramillo, B.A.T., Ospina, A.A.O., Arrechea, J.D.H. (2021). Strategies for Social and Educational Inclusion in Visually Impaired People. Universidad del Valle, Colombia. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7630-4.ch009 (Accessed: 21 February 2023).
[4] Cumpston M, Chandler J. Chapter II: Planning a Cochrane Review. In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.3 (updated February 2022). Cochrane, 2022. www.training.cochrane.org/handbook.

Keywords:

Inclusive Education, Universal Design for Learning, Students with Visual Impairment.