Recommendations for instructing blind students in undergraduate physical education teacher education programs: Findings from a program evaluation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to share the evaluation process, and outcomes of that process, that resulted from an invitation from our colleagues at a South American university who requested support for a blind student who was enrolled in their program. To understand the experiences of the student as well as program faculty and to effectively construct recommendations for their program, we engaged in an evaluation process which included semi-structured focus group interviews with faculty members and one-to-one interviews with the blind student. After the completion of the interviews, transcribed interview data were analyzed, along with researcher notes, to explore common themes depicting faculty and student experiences. Recommendations were then constructed based both on the faculty and student experiences and on the pedagogical expertise and lived experiences of the research team members. The 23 recommendations, which are shared in this article, include considerations to be made throughout the academic year, as well as during and around coursework.