Undergraduate Student Education Programs Regarding Braille Literacy: A Transnational Comparative Study

Abstract

Developing braille literacy skills represents one of the major goals of the education process for students with vision impairment. Fluency and accuracy in reading and writing facilitate access to information, development of knowledge, active participation, functionality, and independence in social contexts. One of the essential factors that can influence the success in the learning process of the braille code consists of the competences of teachers of students with vision impairment who teach braille. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reflections of 95 undergraduate special education students on their training programs regarding braille in their role as future special education teachers. Data were obtained through questionnaires which were administered in two departments of special education in two European universities. The results reported upon undergraduate students’ reflections on their study in braille and confidence in teaching braille to students who are blind. The findings highlighted the need for further training into the braille code in conjunction with its literary and scientific notation.