Aalborg Universitet Designing for an Inclusive School of Informatics For
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Aalborg Universitet Designing for an inclusive school of informatics for blind students Vargas Brenes, Ronald Publication date: 2012 Link to publication from Aalborg University Citation for published version (APA): Vargas Brenes, R. (2012). Designing for an inclusive school of informatics for blind students: a learning perspective. Institut for Kommunikation, Aalborg Universitet. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. ? Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. ? You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain ? You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from vbn.aau.dk on: April 27, 2015 DESIGNING FOR AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL OF INFORMATICS FOR BLIND STUDENTS A LEARNING PERSPECTIVE RONALD VARGAS BRENES Aalborg University Universidad Nacional Aalborg, Denmark. 2012 Metamorphosis from geometric shapes Cover motivation The cane and Braille achieved in the physical world to break down barriers and allow accessibility and inclusion of visually impaired people in society. Both elements are represented graphically (color and shape) and used the resource of metamorphosis (change in form and space), creating a process of transformation into a virtual environment represented by squares (pixels). "breaking barriers", cause changes under the principle of equality to the accessibility of a blind person to a virtual environment, providing all the facilities (space, methodological, technical, etc.) To successfully pursue the career of computing. Karen Herrera (Graphic Designer) DESIGNING FOR AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL OF INFORMATICS FOR BLIND STUDENTS. A Learning Perspective This thesis is developed within: Doctoral Program Human Centered Communication and Informatics (HCCI) Research Center E-Learning Lab-Center for User Driven Innovation, Learning and Design Department Department of Communication and Psycology University Aalborg University Supervisor Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld This thesis is submitted to the Faculty of Humanities at Aalborg University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Publisher: UNIPrint – Aalborg University Language: English © Ronald Vargas Brenes Department of Communication and Psychology Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark Escuela de Informática Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica Karen Herrera Benavides - Graphic Designer (cover) Marcela Vargas Rojas - Architect (illustrations) ISBN 978-87-89701-02-8 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Working on this thesis was the most stimulating intellectual experience I have had in the last years. Although it was a challenge to move my whole family to another country across the world, it was eased by a lovely and warm community that welcomed us with kindness and hospitality, and I need to express my gratefulness to all these people from Aalborg. Another challenge was the crossing from the academic world of computer sciences to the humanities and it would not have been possible without the support of the e-Leaning Lab community and my supportive neighbours at the university. Both challenges were accompanied and supported especially by my supervisor Lone Dirckinck Holmfeld and her husband Arne Remmen. Without their friendship and kindness, our time in Denmark would not have been as pleasant as it was. We had also many other people who contributed to our happiness, and gave us their warmness, especially our new friends Jens, Pia, and Mette; Paola, Per, Cecilia and Rebeca; Hellen, Erick, Mathias and Johan. I want to thanks the Institute for Blind and Partially Sighted in Hellerup, Denmark who received me with openness and great interest to support me in this research. I also want to thank the project UNA Educación de Calidad para Todos from UNA, Heredia (ODA), for their support in the conducting of my fieldwork Workshops. Along this process I found many people willing to help me with the research, showing great consciousness about its relevance. I would like to highlight their interest not only because they accepted to collaborate with me, but also because this interest gave me hope that I could collaborate with them to achieve their goals. I have to mention explicitly the group of teachers who participated in the workshops in Costa Rica, María Marta, Maria Elliette, Enrique, Sonia, Irene, Maite, Santiago, from the School of Informatics and Mario Carazo and Angélica Fontana. Also, to my niece Marcela and Karen Herrera who added beauty to the design of the thesis, and Marie from the AAU - Language Resource Centre who made it readable. There are people who deserve special acknowledgments - the students. Their inspiration, knowledge, understanding, time, dedication, interest and in some moments passion dedicated to me, made this thesis possible and they became the first motivation to continue, each time that the tiredness conspired against me and this thesis. So special thanks to them. Furthermore, as my family is the most important bastion in my live, my fabulous kids Alejandro, Esteban and Gabriela came with us to Denmark, eager of new experiences, and they never forgot the main goal of this adventure, and were an invaluable support to achieve it. I also received constant cheer up from my parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, and friends, at the distance and in person. And finally, as the icing on the cake, my lovely wife Mayela that gave me everything else I needed. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................i TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................xi ABSTRACT.............................................................................................xii RESUME.................................................................................................xvi RESUMEN...............................................................................................xx INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 1 1.1. After defining the research question....................................................1 1.1.1. Looking at the context.......................................................................................2 1.1.2. Addressing the research ....................................................................................3 1.2. Theorising ...........................................................................................5 1.3. Constructing data and knowledge .......................................................6 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF BLINDNESS.............................. 9 2.1. Social structures ................................................................................10 2.1.1. Institutionalisation history...............................................................................10 2.1.2. Non-institutionalised definitions of blindness.................................................13 2.1.3. Discussion on classifications of blindness.......................................................15 2.1.4. Legal history ...................................................................................................17 2.2. Social construction of disabilities......................................................19 2.2.1. The prejudices.................................................................................................20 2.2.2. Social construction classification ....................................................................21 2.2.3. The Hollier classification of social construction .............................................24 2.2.3.1. The charity model ..................................................................................24 2.2.3.2. The medical model.................................................................................25 2.2.3.3. The rights-based model ..........................................................................26 2.2.3.4. The economic model ..............................................................................27 2.3. Summary ...........................................................................................28 PERSPECTIVES ON BLINDNESS ............................................. 31 3.1. The medical perspective....................................................................32 3.1.1. Visual anomalies.............................................................................................32 3.1.2. Haptic perception ............................................................................................39 3.1.3. The boundary between the medical and adaptive perspectives........................40 3.2. The adaptive perspective ...................................................................42 3.3. From the adaptive perspective to integration ....................................45 3.3.1. Obstacles