Making EFL classes inclusive for visually impaired students

Alexis Lefranc – IATEFL 2016 - British Council ©
Making Adult EFL
Classes Inclusive
for Visually Impaired Students
1
Alexis Lefranc - British Council Riyadh. Saudi Arabia

Session aims
Do you know anyone who is blind / visually impaired? (UK: 2 million
people experience sight loss, 360,000 legally blind / partially sighted).
• Situational awareness: experimenting with blind behaviour.
• Practical awareness: identify challenges linked to Visual
Impairment (VI) inclusion in the EFL classroom.
• Practical solutions: a set of teaching tips to make your classes
inclusive.
2Alexis Lefranc – IATEFL 2016 - British Council ©

Blind and Bold - Experimenting with Visual Stimulus
3
With your blindfolded partner, make your way to your seat. Take off your
blindfold and take a moment to look into your partner’s eyes.
• If you were blindfolded: how much trust did you feel you needed to place
in your partner’s hands?
• If you were guiding: how much responsibility did you feel you had to
ensure your partner’s safety?
Have you ever taught blind/visually impaired students? Or students with other
physical disabilities?

Different types of visual impairment
4
Source:
Maha Khochen
British Council SEN Webinar
December 2013. With Permission.
Macular Degeneration
(centre of the retina)
Glaucoma
(optic nerve)

Mainstreaming: Background
Is anyone familiar with the concept of mainstreaming in education?
• Until Classical age, disability = divine punishment or social
inadequacy (Foucault, 1961)
• 19th / 20th century: Disabled persons = objects of specific attention.
Notion of special education (e.g. Montessori) and medical model.
• Mainstreaming posits disabled persons as subjects with rights,
including being part of society - social model (UN Convention on the
Rights of Disabled Persons - 2006).

Visual Impairment: International Context
6
Late 19th century: Writing and reading systems developed for VI
and blind persons (incl. Braille).
1948: International Declaration of Human Rights
1953/1991: International Conventions on Braille usage.
Since 1970s: Mainstreaming developed as a concept
2006: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UK
ratified 2009)

Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities
Article 24: Education
1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to
education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and
on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an
inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning (…)
2. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that (…) persons with
disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on
the basis of disability,
3. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life and
social development skills to facilitate their full and equal
participation in education and as members of the community.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-
rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html

8

Visual impairment inclusion in EFL
• A blind spot in global mainstreaming.
There is “Little interface or cross-training among ESL and Braille
teachers” (Guinan, 1997).
• Initiatives do exist, but tend to be isolated and local.
Access to Braille material, training and support when operating
abroad is a challenge.
• The EFL sector lags behind the UK education system in
accommodating special needs.

VI Inclusion in EFL: Real life situation
Scenario: you are an EFL teacher working for a mid-size school or teaching
centre.
A group of 25 visually impaired students are joining your school.
One of them is due to study in your elementary class.
What are the challenges you expect to face in providing inclusive classes
to these students (and in particular the one you teach)?
Think of the following:
Practical issues
Relationship (or social) issues

VI Inclusion: Practical & Social Challenges
11
Mobility and safety
 Centre Access
 Mobility on the premises
 Go to person?
 Emergency procedure?
Making contact
 Course information access?
 Additional guidance if required?
Communication
 Basic communication (low levels)
 Staff trained to interact with VI?
 Staff aware of VI presence on
premises?
Discrimination
 EO&D policy?
 If yes, are students and staff all
aware of it?
 Will they act accordingly?

Addressing practical and social challenges
12
Mobility and safety
 Provide full premises induction
(lavatories, emergency exits, etc)
 Identify students’ degree of
impairment (can they get around)
 Have a SEN coordinator (SENCO)
liaise on SEN issues.
Making contact
 Make regular email or phone contact,
incl. in L1.
 Ensure information is sent via email
(handouts, course info).
Communication
 Ensure a bilingual colleague is on
hand to help when needed.
 Provide adequate staff training
 CS must be aware of SEN presence
- best flag it upon registration.
Discrimination
 Communicate EO&D policy to staff
(training) and students (upon reg).
 Publicise it through visuals, emails,
awareness raising events.

Blind and bold - In the classroom
• You are elementary students of English. learning comparatives.
• Here are two pictures: think of three comparative sentences to describe
them. Work in pairs.
• Oh and by the way: one of you is blindfolded. Work that one out…


VI Inclusion in the classroom: Academic Challenges
15
Access to material:
 How can they read the
textbook?
Homework
 How can it be given, and
checked?
Testing
 How can they input their
answers in a receptive skills
test?
 How can they produce any
written assessed work?
Classroom interaction
 How can they join pair and
group work?
 How can they retain
elements of language if
they cannot write?
 What if I’m using pictures?
 What do I have to do
differently for / with them?

Academic challenges: material / homework / testing
How can they read the
textbook?
17 / 9 / 12
 Braille
 Screen reading software
 Enlarged print
How can homework be given,
and checked?
2 / 3
 Re-assign class exercises through email.
 Student emails written work.
How can they input their answer
in a receptive skills test?
4 / 11 / 1
 Computer access
 Assign ascribe
 Customised / shorter / Braille test
How can they produce any
written assessed work?
3 / 10
 Student emails written work.
 Inclusive technology: Ipad/smartphone

Academic Challenges: Classroom Interaction
17
.
What if I’m using pictures?
7
 Elicit descriptions
What do I have to do different
for / with them?
8 / 16 / 15 / 14 / 13
 Spell out vocab
 Verbal signals
 Higher TTT
 More realia
 Focus on listening
How can they join pair/group
work and mingling activities?
6 / 5 / 20
 Pair or team them with stronger students
 Pair with a weaker student.
 Pair with teacher (who monitors)
How can they retain elements of
language if they cannot write?
10 / 19 / 18 /
 Portable audio devices
 Email key vocabulary
 Braille reader.
 Ipad/tablet

VI Inclusive EFL : a challenge, many rewards
 A real challenge that requires a build-up of additional teaching
skills.
 Once trained, should not be more demanding on teacher than
regular mixed-ability class.
 Mainstreaming is a global effort fostered by many
governments and organisations, including the UK, UN and
British Council.
 As we implement inclusive teaching, teachers develop skills
that will benefit their students, but also their future careers.

VI Inclusive EFL : Conclusion
mahakhechen@hotmail.com
Anwar-alnassar@hotmail.com
https://britishcouncil.adobeconnect.com/_a917587435/p1qsevufl86/?launcher=false&fcsCo
ntent=true&pbMode=normal
UN convention website:

Literacy Option: Braille
A 6-dot cell:
Each cell stands for one letter:

Making EFL classes inclusive for visually impaired students

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to Making EFL classes inclusive for visually impaired students

Similar to Making EFL classes inclusive for visually impaired students (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Making EFL classes inclusive for visually impaired students