Pedagogical Mediation for Visually Impaired Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.1926

Keywords:

visual impairment, pedagogical tools, teaching English, inclusion

Abstract

This case study began in the first semester of 2013 as part of an integrated English course offered at a public university in Costa Rica. Data were collected at three intervals—2013, 2019, and 2020—to explore the experiences of several professors who taught visually impaired or blind students. The research is grounded in the personal experience of one of the researchers, who had a blind student in her class. It examines the perceptions and experiences of the participating teachers, as well as the challenges they encountered over time while striving to foster an inclusive classroom environment. The implications for theory and practice are discussed, and recommendations for further research are proposed.

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Author Biographies

Ana Cristina Solis-Solis, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

M.A. Ana Cristina Solís holds a bachelor’s degree on English Teaching as well as a Master’s in Second Languages and Culture with an  emphasis on Adult Teaching, both from Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica. She has been an ELT instructor since 2004 at the secondary and higher education levels. She  is a full-time professor at the Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje at UNA.  She has carried out and presented her research in national and international conferences. She has taken part on projects related to the preparation for newly admitted students and teaching visually impaired students. Her current research interests include topics such as Information and Communication Technologies in teaching, learners’ diversity and motivation, together with inclusive education.

May Ling Gonzalez Ruiz, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in the Science of Education with an emphasis on English Teaching. Since  2009, she has served as an academic at the Universidad Nacional, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in applied linguistics, research  methodology, and inclusive EFL pedagogy. Her research has focused on  accessibility in language education, intercultural communication, and equity-oriented instructional design, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of visually impaired learners in higher education. She has presented her findings at national and international conferences and participated in research–extension initiatives on cooperative learning and teacher professional development. She lead Project ACCESS, dedicated to producing accessible materials for visually impaired EFL students, and has contributed to curriculum redesign and unified assessment processes within her faculty

Lindsay Chaves Fernandez, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Lindsay Chaves Fernández holds a master’s degree in Second Languages and Cultures and a master’s degree in Translation, both from  Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica. She has been an ELT instructor for more than twenty years, teaching at the elementary, secondary, and higher education levels.  She is an Associate Professor at the Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje at UNA. Her research has been presented at national and international conferences, and her papers appear in various scientific journals and conference proceedings. Her current research interests include information and communication technologies in teaching, learners’ diversity and motivation, authentic assessment, testing washback, segmentals and suprasegmentals in ELT, approaches to EFL teaching, and  translation studies.

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Published

2025-12-24

How to Cite

Solis-Solis, A. C., Gonzalez Ruiz, M. L., & Chaves Fernandez, L. (2025). Pedagogical Mediation for Visually Impaired Students. GIST – Education and Learning Research Journal, 31(31). https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.1926

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 31 (2025): GiST Education and Learning Research Journal

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 GIST – Education and Learning Research Journal

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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