Digital, visual impairment and accessibility of learning (Nordisksynkongress 2018)
Résumé
The digital plan for education launched in May 2005, in France, aims to introduce digital technology into schools. To do this, students are gradually equipped with computer tools, teachers trained in the use of digital in teaching and free media are made available to teachers and students. In parallel, since the law of 11 February 2005, disability policies promote the inclusion of disabled students in mainstream schools. In 2015, for example, 80% of the 350,300 children or adolescents with disabilities in France were enrolled in mainstream schools. If inclusion policies include various measures to ensure "equal rights and opportunities", what about the accessibility of digital and non-digital educational content for these students? An exploratory study, conducted in France and Sweden, combining interviews with various actors in the situation (specialized teachers, Braille transcribers) and observations of pupils with visual impairment in the classroom, was conducted with the aim of describing the current situation in terms of access to educational content for students with visual impairments and to identify categories of difficulties encountered by students in accessing and processing digital teaching materials and their consequences for learning. The results presented are divided into three parts: access to digital teaching content (1) or not, access difficulties (2) and their consequences (3). We will discuss the potential of digital tools in the schooling of students with visual disabilities.