Suchergebnisse

Since 2010, I have acted as the full-time researcher on a longitudinal qualitative study which has been following the transition experiences of more than 80 young people in the United Kingdom who have a visual impairment. When I first started working with these participants, they were aged 14-16 years, and I have now been working with them for 6 years. There are more than 60 of the participants who have remained active in the research study and contribute to two interviews per year. This is despite the changing environments they have experienced such as moving to university or starting their first job. The aim of the research has been to assess how prepared these young people were for employment and adulthood having left compulsory education by tracking their experiences through various pathways such as further education, higher education, apprenticeships, and the labor market. This case study explores first what exactly longitudinal qualitative studies are, including their strengths and weaknesses and their value in researching transition. It then discusses some of the techniques which are recommended by researchers for retaining and engaging participants in longitudinal studies, before examining the practical approaches which I took to retain these participants.

There is little research into what happens to blind and partially sighted young people as they make the transition from compulsory education into further and higher education, and employment. This article describes a longitudinal study which is tracking the progress of 78 young people with visual impairments in England and Wales as they make this transition. Early findings are presented in relation to the experience of 47 of these participants who had recently completed their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) (age 16 years) and made the transition to life beyond compulsory education. All of them remained in some form of education. The majority reported having enjoyed their studies, achieved well in their GCSE examinations, and had experienced positive transitions. There are some areas of concern: many did not appear to have engaged with the more formal pre-transitional preparation processes of 'transition review'; there was evidence of the young people being restricted in participating in part-time work; and some were reserved about applying to university in the future due to tuition fees.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a pilot trial, investigating the accessibility provided by a tablet computer (Apple iPad) to individuals with visual impairment. The study was designed around an N-of-1 randomised controlled trial (RCT), which was replicated for 12 participants. It served as an opportunity to evaluate the use N-of-1 trials in studies involving people who are visually impaired.Design/methodology/approach– The study centred round an N-of-1 RCT, comparing the accessibility provided by control equipment (Windows computer) against the intervention equipment (Apple iPad). Twelve participants conducted six tests on the equipment as per randomisation, followed by a quantitative-based evaluation and short interviews.Findings– One-sided individual randomisation tests showed a significant result for overall satisfaction in favour of the tablet at the 0.05 significance level for seven of the participants. Participants identified several strengths of the iPad in helping a partially sighted user in accessing the internet: inbuilt zoom and magnification options; increased control as a result of the touch screen; and accessibility tools being built into the operating system. The main limitation suggested was the way the zoom function operates by enlarging the onscreen keyboard. This caused difficulties for those with more severe visual impairments using this function in inputting text.Originality/value– There has been limited research to substantiate positive reviews of the tablet computer for low-vision users. The results of this pilot study gives evidence in support of these potential benefits, and demonstrates the importance of a more thorough investigation.

This article presents the research and development that underpins the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI): a new unifying framework that outlines the breadth of support that should be received by children and young people with vision impairment (CYPVI) in the United Kingdom (UK). The study used the Delphi method as a systematic process of participatory consultation with key stakeholders. Three rounds of consultation took place with a panel of 48 participants including young people, parents, professionals, and professional training providers. This process resulted in the agreed 11 curriculum areas of the CFVI with high levels of agreement and satisfaction among participants. The development of the CFVI responds to established evidence of the distinctive challenges to learning associated with childhood vision impairment, and the importance of addressing these through targeted intervention approaches. Drawing on a dual model of access ('access to learning' and 'learning to access'), the framework acknowledges that these approaches should promote inclusive education by balancing universal inclusive practice with specialist skills-based interventions. Such an approach captures 'what matters' to the field of vision impairment education – ensuring fair access to a shared curriculum and education system while developing the specialist skills to develop personal agency and increase independence. The article is original in reporting on the development of the first curriculum framework for CYPVI in the UK. The CFVI was launched in March 2022 and provides clarity about what should be taught, when, and by whom. The CFVI promises a transformative contribution to UK policies and practice in ensuring CYPVI and their families will more easily be able to navigate complex education systems and secure equitable access to the services to which they are entitled.

IntroductionThe unique challenges to learning and participation in education associated with visual impairment are well documented in the literature, as is the importance of addressing these challenges through ensuring practitioners who support them are equipped with appropriate knowledge, understanding, and skills. We use a bioecological systems theory as a lens through which to examine the personnel preparation of vision specialist teachers to act as agents of change. We draw on the different teacher preparation programs for specialist teachers of learners with visual impairments in the United Kingdom to demonstrate how this theory can be applied.MethodsWe use a bounded case study to bring together the respective teacher preparation programs in the UK in order to demonstrate complementary characteristics of the theoretical model proposed.Results and discussionWe argue that a bioecological systems theory offers a holistic framework for educators involved in personnel preparation to explicitly engage with vision specialist teachers in their role as potential agents of change. This preparation includes developing distinctive knowledge, understanding, and skills to facilitate learner participation in education through promoting "progressive" and "mutual" accommodation between the active learner and the changing learning environments in order to achieve successful outcomes.Implications for practitionersThe article is original in applying a bioecological systems theory to the preparation of these specialist teachers, with a focus on their role as agents of change. We argue that it has significance, therefore, for practitioners and researchers concerned with the personnel preparation of other practitioners for learners with distinctive educational needs across national contexts and settings.

The move towards greater inclusive practice in recent years has resulted in significant changes in curriculum design, delivery and support for children and young people with vision impairments, including increasing placement in settings not designated for pupils with vision impairments. Within these settings, pupils will participate in most curriculum areas alongside their sighted peers with support provided by a range of practitioners including a specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments. This article is concerned with analysing the distinctive function and role of the specialist teacher across settings in helping to facilitate an appropriate balance of curriculum 'access'. Drawing upon recent work in this area, a dual model of access is presented as a means of illustrating the specialist teacher's role in (1) ensuring that the child's environment is structured to promote learning throughout their education ('access to learning') and (2) supporting the child to learn distinctive skills in order to afford more independent learning ('learning to access'). While it can be challenging for specialist teachers to find the balance between these two roles, its importance is highlighted in literature which associates independence skills with positive employment outcomes. An ecological systems theory is used as a lens through which to conceptualise and navigate the issues teachers negotiate in facilitating an appropriate curriculum balance. We illustrate the multi-faceted role of the specialist teacher in providing support 'within' and 'between' the different 'systems' within this theoretical framework with a particular focus on the professional 'standards' that are used in England and Scotland, respectively. The article is original in being the first to examine the role of the specialist teacher of children and young people with vision impairments through such an analysis. In providing a theoretical framework and related vocabulary illustrated with examples from practice, it therefore has significance for educators and researchers concerned with facilitating curriculum access across national contexts and educational settings in order to reduce future barriers to learning and participation.

Through the use of their developing vision, young children develop increasingly sophisticated ways of establishing control within different learning environments, thereby helping them to exert influence as active 'agents'. Vision impairment can present significant barriers to a child developing personal agency through reducing access to visual information. In this article, we present the parameters of a conceptual framework to inform the design of intervention approaches that can help to reduce these barriers. We draw on a dual model of 'access', contextualised within a bioecological systems perspective, to examine how young children with vision impairment can establish increasing personal agency through intervention approaches that promote progressive independence access skills within an 'ethos of empowerment'. In presenting new conceptual foundations for examining the development of personal agency in young children with vision impairment, the article has significance for research, policy, and practice in vision impairment education and offers a theoretical reference point for related areas of early childhood inclusive education.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- About the Authors -- Foreword -- Preface -- Part 1 Mapping the educational landscape -- Chapter 1 An introduction to vision impairment education -- Chapter 2 Exploring curriculum access for learners with vision impairment -- Chapter 3 Developing the parameters of a conceptual framework and the role of the specialist practitioner -- Part 2 Applying the conceptual framework to vision impairment education -- Chapter 4 Early childhood care and education in home and informal learning settings -- Chapter 5 Early childhood education in more formal learning settings -- Chapter 6 The primary years -- Chapter 7 The secondary years -- Chapter 8 Post-compulsory education -- Part 3 Future policy and research directions -- Chapter 9 Future policy directions: Reaffirming what matters -- Chapter 10 What works in vision impairment education? -- Chapter 11 Concluding thoughts -- Appendix 1: Country study of the United Kingdom: Definitions of vision impairment -- Appendix 2: Country study of the United Kingdom: population of children and young people with vision impairment -- Appendix 3: Articulating what matters in a national policy response: the impact of COVID-19 on education and children's services in England -- Index.