An eye on visually impaired EFL learners' experience with inclusive education at tertiary level

Abstract EN

Inclusive education can be referred to as the process of bringing disabled and non-disabled students together in the same educational environment in order to provide equal educational opportunities.

this study focuses on the case of visually impaired students when learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at tertiary level.

the aim of the current paper is to explore the challenges that face visually impaired EFL undergraduates and their teachers' accommodation to cope with their needs within an inclusive environment.

for that end, data were collected by interviewing three visually impaired undergraduates, besides administering a questionnaire to their teachers in the department of English at Setif 2 university.

descriptive data revealed that learners' special needs were not sufficiently considered in terms of adapted study materials, appropriate equipment and technological devices that assist visually impaired students to be autonomous particularly during exams.

drawing on the major findings, some pedagogical implications were solicited to the different stakeholders to consider the needs of visually impaired learners and the necessity to train tertiary teachers in special education.