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ERIC Number: ED432845
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1999-May
Pages: 218
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Blind Secondary and College Students in the Foreign Language Classroom: Experiences, Problems and Solutions.
Morrow, Kimberly A.
This dissertation addresses the general experience of foreign language learners of high school and college age who are totally blind and who study in regular classroom settings. In a qualitative study, interviews were conducted with five nearsighted students, their foreign language classroom teachers, and teachers of students with visual impairments. A case study approach was utilized in an effort to allow each participant to tell as much of his or her own story as possible. Topics discussed include foreign language theory and strategy, social skills and interaction with sighted teachers and peers, and strategies for obtaining access to adaptive technology and to materials in alternate formats that make study of a foreign language possible for students who are blind. Results of the study indicate: (1) participants believed that the ability to communicate in a written format with regular classroom teachers who have no knowledge of Braille was of paramount importance; (2) participants believed that assertiveness and self-advocacy are important to succeed in the regular foreign language classroom setting; and (3) social skills and interaction with sighted peers were found to be important to participants; however, students took little responsibility for breakdowns in social interaction. An appendix includes interview questions. (Contains approximately 100 references.) (CR)
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas.