Abstract:

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, art and Mathematics) is seen as a suitable subject for including visually impaired pupils in mainstream classes, but few teachers have specialised training in supporting pupils with disabilities. In addition, 'special education' teachers have only had general teacher training and therefore lack the skills and ideas to adapt the curriculum for these students, which means that some pupils with disabilities slip through the cracks and receive little relevant STEAM education. There is a need to improve STEAM teaching, involving both visual impairment specialists and STEAM specialists to explore the benefits of using the natural environment to teach this subject to blind and visually impaired pupils, this approach is beneficial in improving a group's scientific knowledge and understanding of visual impairment.

The Erasmus+ project “STEAM in the secondary school with no barriers for blind and visually impaired pupils” is developed by three schools for blind students, one school with students with disabilities, one school with students on a regular basis and one university. The project aims to develop a series of internships and workshops in technical subjects such as Science, Technology, Engineering, art and Mathematics, i.e. STEAM, which have often been cited as difficult for blind and visually impaired students. The project aims to highlight some of the specific challenges faced by blind and partially sighted students in these subjects, and to identify good practices and resources that can improve access to them.

The partners present complementary profiles that provide the necessary experience, skills, competences and knowledge to successfully develop the activities proposed. Thus, the partnership is composed of three partners with pupils with similar educational disabilities. The need to create a partnership with three similar centres is due to the difficulty and speciality required in the generation of methodologies and products for this type of profile and the need to generate training for the teaching staff of these centres, and for the rest of the teaching staff in anticipation of future needs.

The project tries to promote what teachers can do to help their students in those fields. Seeking an improvement in the education of students with disabilities, the partners have proposed the joint development of a series of workshops, generated and evaluated in a cooperative way between blind students and students and teachers located in schools without disabilities, promoting interest and excellence in STEAM.

Acknowledgements:
The authors thank the financial support provided by EU (Erasmus+ project No. 2021-1-ES01-KA220-SCH-000024569). The authors also thank Jaime Muñoz, from Centro de Recursos Educativos de ONCE in Madrid, and the Agencia ONCE de Burgos-Soria staff for their assistance and support.

References:
[1] https://twinspace.etwinning.net/245484/home (retrieved November 2022).
[2] https://erasmusbabelia.wixsite.com/ka220-sch-000024569/diffusion (retrieved November 2022).

Keywords:

Inclusion, blind and partially sighted, secondary school, university, Erasmus+ project, KA220.