Significant contribution from Trabzon University students to the education of visually impaired people

TRABZON (AA) – HATİCE DİLER – Trabzon University students designed boards with sound, embossed and Braille alphabet in order to facilitate the learning process of visually impaired people. Fatih Faculty of Education Social Studies Teaching Program 3rd grade students, Social Studies Education Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Within the scope of the Material Design course conducted by Ebru Demircioğlu, she started a study to transform abstract concepts into concrete data.

University students aim to ensure equality of opportunity in education by transforming the units in the social studies course curriculum of secondary school students into publicly accessible boards and story books, using Latin and Braille alphabets as well as embossed and QR code expressions. Prof. Dr. Demircioğlu told the AA correspondent that they started the study when they learned from the social studies course curriculum that visually impaired students were equally responsible as other students.

Expressing that having the same opportunity for every student in the class does not always mean complete equality, Demircioğlu said, “Social Studies is a course that teaches many abstract events such as historical events, maps and directions. This course cannot be taught only by reading. It cannot be taught only by explaining or audibly. ‘What can we do for these students’ became our starting point.” he said. Stating that the students designed materials for the needs of the visually impaired, Demircioğlu continued his words as follows: “Education does not only mean receiving education equally and under equal conditions in the classroom.

It means that children can reach education by producing materials by taking into account the needs of each student and not ignoring their needs. We think we have achieved this with our students.” Touching on the importance of Social Studies teaching, Demircioğlu said: “Social Studies teaching is actually a teaching that shapes the future of Turkey. Because we train teachers with citizenship awareness, we actually raise students who know their country, homeland and nation, thanks to this course.

I find this branch very important.” Naturally, while our students are educating their own students, it is also extremely important for my course that they recognize students with such special needs and develop materials for them.” Expressing that they will present this study carried out in the course as a project to TÜBİTAK, Demircioğlu stated that the materials will be sent to the schools where visually impaired students study and thus their contribution to the learning process will be measured.

Referring to the Ministry of National Education’s comprehensive studies on learning materials, Demircioğlu said, “Thanks to the materials produced here, the visually impaired child will have the feeling of ‘I can learn too.’ “This is the most important thing for us.” he said. – “We used relief elements and added visual and audio elements.” Trabzon University Fatih Education Faculty Social Studies Teaching Department student Serap Bekar explained that this study emerged after thinking for a long time about how to convey abstract concepts to visually impaired students.

Stating that they tested whether the board explained the subject by closing their eyes and empathizing while making the designs, Bekar said, “While developing the materials, we used relief elements and added visual and auditory elements. We tried to create a combination by adding tactile elements. We aimed to remove the barrier between our visually impaired student and our non-visually impaired student. I hope this study was useful.” he said.

Stating that the course made positive contributions to him in terms of awareness, Bekar said, “I realized that I may have a visually impaired student in my class. I learned that I could prepare a material that would contribute to his interest by touching and aurally. I now know what I can do in line with the child’s interest and interest within the scope of this course.” he said. One of the students, Doğukan Toprak, noted that when he steps into the teaching profession, he will apply the knowledge and experience he gained in this course to his students.