Pupils with special needs, among which are blind and visually impaired children, are involved in various educational programs and attend all educational subjects, including physical education. However, teachers lack experience with teaching blind and visually impaired pupils and often find it challenging to find a way to include such pupils in physical activities.
The purpose of this master's thesis was to identify the most common issues and adjustments that need to be made to individual parts of the sports curriculum when working with a visually impaired pupil. It also looks into the goals of the selected pupil in terms of knowledge, motor abilities and his level of social-emotional development, and attempts to classify the pupil according to Winnick's model of inclusion of people with special needs in physical activities.
This master's thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical part. The research was based on a case study involving a blind student who in the academic year 2015/16 attended the 1st grade of primary school with adapted education and additional professional assistance. We spent a total of 60 hours conducting unstructured observation with participation during sports lessons.
The findings indicate that the selected pupil belonged to level 2 of Winnick's model in the majority of topics, i.e. regular physical activities with certain adjustments. Moreover, the pupil did not experience any issues during sports lessons, but he needed adjustments, constant supervision and assistance of the person accompanying him.
The pupil acquired new sport-related theoretical knowledge and improved his practical skills that he can use later on in life. Although the pupil is blind, he developed a positive attitude to the sport, which he is now playing in his spare time as well. To conclude, blind pupils can partake in various sports activities just like their peers without visual impairment.
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