Resources used by students with blindness in Higher Education and the possible process of “Debrailization”

Abstract

The writing and reading of the Braille System are important resources in the teaching and learning process of students with blindness. Recently, one can observe that technological advances have also favored the teaching and learning process and the social inclusion of these students. In this article, one sought to identify a possible process of “debrailization” associated with the use of new technologies by blind students in Higher Education. The motivations for the use, or not, of the Braille System and new technologies by three blind students who attend Higher Education in a Brazilian university were identified and investigated. For such purpose, one sought to: I) identify the resources in Braille and those of new technologies that are used by students with blindness in Higher Education; II) analyze if the resources in Braille and the ones of the new technologies are satisfactory for the accomplishment of studies and training of students with blindness in Higher Education; and III) ascertain the possible relationship of the resources used by students with blindness and the process of “debrailization” in Higher Education. The work was carried out through qualitative research, and the bibliographical references mentioned in this article present contents related to the area of Education, most of them published in the last two decades. The analyses were based on semi structured interviews and on the author’s experience as a Braille transcriber at the university in question. Through this research, one identified and analyzed that the screen reader is the resource most used by the three interviewed students, as well as one found that there is a relationship between the use of the screen reader and the process of “debrailization”. It is emphasized that one resource does not annul the other, but the blind student must have the opportunity to know and learn the writing and reading of the Braille System, recognizing the value of this system.