Perceived Barriers to Including Students with Visual Impairments in General Physical Education

Area of Science:

• Physical Education
• Special Education
• Inclusion

Background:

• Inclusive education aims to integrate students with disabilities into general classrooms.
• Physical education settings present unique challenges for students with visual impairments.
• Understanding teacher-perceived barriers is crucial for successful inclusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers faced by teachers in including students with visual impairments in general physical education.
• To explore factors influencing these perceived barriers.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 148 physical education teachers prior to an in-service workshop.
• Data were analyzed using logistic regression to identify predictors of professional preparation barriers.

Main Results:

• The most common barriers reported were professional preparation, equipment, programming, and time.
• Logistic regression analysis did not identify significant predictors for professional preparation as a barrier.

Conclusions:

• Teachers perceive significant barriers to including students with visual impairments in physical education.
• Current professional preparation and training may not adequately address these needs.
• Further investigation into effective strategies and support systems is warranted.