Educating students with vision impairment today: Consideration of the expanded core curriculum

Abstract

A phenomenological study was undertaken giving students with vision impairment the opportunity to voice their experiences of secondary schooling in mainstream schools. Policies of inclusion were considered, with analysis of how training and curriculum came together, as experienced by these students, to develop their inclusion in schools in Victoria. Interviews of each participant using interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed a number of themes, with lack of teacher understanding of vision impairment a common theme across all cases. The limited access to visiting teachers, specialists in vision impairment, points to the need for alternatives in the delivery of necessary expanded core curriculum components. It is proposed that teachers of these students would benefit from an online unit to educate them in vision impairment to eliminate unintentional exclusion practices currently experienced and to encourage them to incorporate components of the expanded core curriculum into their everyday practices. The need for further research is indicated.