Chess for people with visual impairment: knowledge from a unique day at the Benjamin Constant Institute

Abstract

Each relationship with others and each (de)construction of knowledge is unique and typical of everyday life and human identity and complexity. Therefore, teaching strategies are diverse and plural, created and (re)thought according to the needs and potential of students, making every day pedagogical practice rich. This text, from a qualitative perspective, based on an autobiographical narrative, seeks to present knowledge from the experience of pedagogical practices in teaching the game of chess to students with visual impairment (VI) at the Benjamin Constant Institute (IBC). This experience report aims to share, through writing, the adaptations used in the game for students with VI, including the main rules and specific strategies for teaching the game in IBC classes. These rules, as well as their respective adaptations, are presented based on the chess laws of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the International Chess Federation. The teaching strategies illustrated here are (de)constructed based on the uniqueness and identity of students with VI at IBC. It is concluded that chess is an important recreational and pedagogical tool for developing concentration and emotional balance, for creating strategies, as well as improving self-control. Furthermore, this practice helps in learning other knowledge and enables social interactions and inclusion through leisure, educational training and professionalization. It is hoped that the knowledge presented can resonate in other daily lives, disseminating chess to people with VI and contributing to the construction of more dignified, fair, and inclusive practices.