Colectivos con necesidades específicas, una nueva realidad universitaria

Un modelo de apoyo al estudiante del español con discapacidad visual

Abstract

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS – A NEW CHALLENGE FOR UNIVERSITIES: A SUPPORT MODEL FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Special educational needs is an umbrella term for different groups of people including students with learning difficulties or disabilities. Over the last few decades the education solutions for the disabled have evolved towards the inclusive model, recommended in the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which was ratified by Poland in 2012. The Convention establishes a new reality which needs attention almost immediately by the Institute of Roman Philologies of the Jagiellonian University of Cracow, due to the matriculation of a student with visual disability. Having analysed different options, it has been decided to offer the necessary support under the form of a new academic subject entitled Assistance to the disabled in educational environments, organised and developed in co-operation with the Disability Support Service of the Jagiellonian University. The final evaluation has proved that the subject is a success and benefits all the people involved. The added value of the project is the training of the first group of Spanish teachers in Poland who know how to teach visually disabled learners. In this way the situation which, at first, was a problem has turned into an opportunity. Taking into consideration the results achieved the programme will continue during the following academic years.