In a generally inclusive society, blind and visually impaired individuals are often relegated to passive roles on its periphery. Due to various impairments of visual function, they are classified as members of vulnerable groups within the community, lacking a decisive voice and power. This master's thesis aims to highlight the often-overlooked blind and visually impaired individuals and the significance of visual arts activities in their empowerment.
The central element of our thesis is the empirical part, conducted during the 2022/23 school year at a primary school in central Slovenia. The study included a blind ninth grader with minimal residual vision, her mother and her assistant, providing a broader perspective on the issue and subsequent changes. Through interviews, self-esteem assessment scales, and ten sessions involving ten visual arts activities, we examined the impact of these activities on the student’s well-being, self-esteem, and the strengthening of her strong areas while improving weaker ones. The designed visual arts activities incorporated the current curriculum for visual arts and design for ninth grade, addressing all fundamental areas of artistic creation. Each task was crafted to enhance at least one of the six components of self-esteem through the experience of the artistic situation (motif). Additionally, we thoughtfully selected artistic techniques that often aimed to reinforce the student’s weaker areas. We found that visual arts activities had a significant positive impact on her well-being, self-esteem, and the strengthening of strong and improving weak areas. The ninth grader consistently felt better after each activity, as demonstrated by numerical ratings and nonverbal body language. Her self-esteem improved in aspects, which we could influence. During the sessions, she gradually began to trust her abilities more, follow her ideas and pursue her interests and desires. She also became more decisive, increasingly taking initiative and showing courage in communication. The activities also enhanced her weaknesses, improving her motor skills, proficiency in cutting, familiarity with various materials and working with clay, where she previously lacked confidence. Moreover, we examined which areas of visual arts, techniques, and subjects the student felt most confident in. We discovered that she was most confident in tasks based on her weaker areas, suggesting that she successfully overcame these challenges and found them most engaging. These findings were further supported by interviews with her mother and assistant, who highlighted the positive transfer of achieved changes to her schoolwork across various subjects, not just in visual arts, as well as improvements in her home environment and relationships with others.
This master's thesis contributes meaningfully to the dissemination of good practices, demonstrating how selected content in the visual arts curriculum can empower blind and visually impaired students. The findings are beneficial to future and current visual arts educators.
|
