The Visually Challenged Student's Journey towards Inclusion: Teacher's Perspective

ABSTRACT: This research paper studies the teacher’s worldview about inclusion of visually challenged students into the mainstream schooling process. The paper is based on an exploratory study conducted across varied school settings. The perceptions of teachers regarding inclusive education and their experience of inclusion in the classroom form the mainstay of the study. The tools of data collection were school observations and open-ended interviews. Subsequently, significant themes were identified from an in-depth study and collation of substantive narratives. The findings which emerged from this analysis allow us to peek into the day-to-day school experiences of teachers as they face the challenges of providing meaningful education to visually challenged students in their classes. It is enlightening to discover the various creative ways that many teachers propose in order to cope with this challenge. The study highlights the need to listen to the voices of the teachers who are one of the main protagonists in the visually challenged student’s journey towards meaningful inclusion.      

KEYWORDS: Inclusion, visually challenged student, school experiences, teacher perceptions