Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Recent technological applications have made the life of people too much dependent on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and its applications. Understanding basic level science is a must in order to use and contribute to this technological revolution. Science education in middle and high school levels however depends heavily on visual representations such as models, diagrams, figures, animations and presentations etc. This leaves visually impaired students with very few options to learn science and secure a career in STEM related areas. Recent experiments have shown that small aural clues called Audemes are helpful in understanding and memorization of science concepts among visually impaired students. Audemes are non-verbal sound translations of a science concept. In order to facilitate science concepts as Audemes, for visually impaired students, this thesis presents an automatic system for audeme generation from STEM textbooks. This thesis describes the systematic application of multiple Natural Language Processing tools and techniques, such as dependency parser, POS tagger, Information Retrieval algorithm, Semantic mapping of aural words, machine learning etc., to transform the science concept into a combination of atomic-sounds, thus forming an audeme. We present a rule based classification method for all STEM related concepts. This work also presents a novel way of mapping and extracting most related sounds for the words being used in textbook. Additionally, machine learning methods are used in the system to guarantee the customization of output according to a user's perception. The system being presented is robust, scalable, fully automatic and dynamically adaptable for audeme generation.

According to Hatlen (2004), most learners with disabilities in an inclusive educational setting are socially isolated. This statement contributed to the research question of this study, how do learners with visual impairment experience the social aspects of their inclusion in a Namibian mainstream secondary school? The aim of this study was to design a case study to analyse and describe data collected from learners with visual impairment and other participants to determine how they are socially included in a mainstream setting. A qualitative research methodology was used, which included purposive sampling to select participants. The researcher functioned in an interpretive/constructivist paradigm. It was found that the learners with disabilities and the able-bodied learners do not truly mix, however, the learners with disabilities are content in the mainstream school and they prefer it. / Om aan 'n groep te behoort en sosiaal ingesluit te voel is 'n basiese menslike behoefte - dit is net so belangrik soos die basiese behoeftes van kos en veiligheid. Sosiale inklusie kan as een van die kritiese elemente beskou word wat onderskei tussen mense wat ongesteld is en mense wat gesond is. Betekenisvolle verhoudings dra by tot self-aktualisering. Lae sosiale inklusie beteken vir leerders eensaamheid en swak aanvaarding deur portuurgroepe. Sosiale inklusie is van groot belang vir kinders se ontwikkeling. Navorsing het bevind dat inklusiewe hoofstroomskole die effektiefste manier is om diskriminasie te beveg en sosiale insluiting te bevorder. Hatlen (2004) is van mening dat die groter meerderheid van leerders met gestremdhede in 'n hoofstroomskool sosiaal gei soleerd is. Die doel van hierdie kwalitatiewe studie was om leerders met gestremdhede se persepsie van hulle eie sosiale aanvaarding binne 'n inklusiewe hoofstroom sekondere skool te ondersoek. Die navorser het binne 'n interpretatiewe/konstruktivistiese paradigma gewerk. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie is gevolg en het die volgende ingesluit: doelbewuste seleksie om te bepaal wie die deelnemers sou wees; onderhoude, observasie, dokumente en refleksies om data te genereer; en inhoudsanalise om die data te analiseer. Navorsingsbevindinge dui aan dat leerders met gestremdhede vir jare afgesonder was van die res van die samelewing deur hierdie leerders in spesiale skole te plaas. Dit het veroorsaak dat mense vervreemd van mekaar is en het 'n skeiding tussen 'ons' en 'hulle' veroorsaak. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van bewusmaking tussen leerders met gestremdhede en leerders sonder gestremdhede. Daar kom wel afknouery voor op die skoolgronde en ware vriendskappe tussen leerders met gestremdhede en leerders sonder gestremdhede vind nie in die ware sin van die woord plaas nie. Hierdie leerders is egter tevrede en verkies steeds om in 'n hoofstroomskool te wees. Inklusiewe onderwys is nog 'n nuwe konsep en in die ontwikkelingsfase in Namibie, terwyl die leerders nog onbekend is met inklusie, asook met mekaar. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Title: Social exclusion amongst students with visual impairments at UKZN Howard College and Edgewood Campuses. This research used a qualitative study exploring thick descriptions, inside voices and perspectives of “otherization”, powerlessness and voiceless-ness resulting from social exclusionary processes perpetuated by social and university structures and poverty. Convenience sampling was used. Semi structured individual interviews and focus group discussions were used to explore the key research questions focusing on social and university challenges experienced by students with visual impairments at UKZN in their social and university environments. The data was interpreted through The Anti Oppressive Approach (Dominelli, 2002) which gave support to understanding how continuing to ignore marginalized persons with visual impairments out of mainstream systems of development, perpetuated “othering”, powerlessness and voiceless-ness. This study provided evidence of the multi dimensional and multi structural nature of the social exclusionary process with key focus on abuse of power by dominant groups (sighted persons), violation of human rights and visual impairment as confinement as experienced by students with visual impairments either in their social or university environments or both. In addition, this theory looked at the manner in which dominant or superior groups arrange resources around them to benefit them and exclude persons with disabilities. This research also gave a voice to women with visual impairments being oppressed by sighted women as well as poverty as a social exclusionary process. Keywords: Anti Oppressive Theory, Visual Impairments, Social Exclusion / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The inclusion of students with impairment in higher education needs enabling legal frameworks to lay the foundation for equal opportunities for those learners in all aspects of university life (Shepherd, 2001:17). To this effect, in the past two decades several countries have revised their legal documents in order to promote inclusive education at all levels of schooling. Accordingly, in 2006 the Ethiopian government also developed a new legislative document, namely Special Needs Education Program Strategy, in order to apply inclusive education in regular schools and in higher education institutions. Following the introduction of this policy document, all regular schools and higher education institutions in Ethiopia have been required to implement inclusive education as a mandatory approach when educating students with impairment, including those who are visually impaired. However, the actual implementation of an inclusive approach is being challenged by the social, political and physical circumstances of higher education institutions. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the existing challenges and prospects towards the inclusion of students with Visual Impairment (VI) in the particular context of Addis Ababa University (AAU). The study adopted an interpretive paradigm for better understanding and in-depth interpretation of the inclusion of students with VI at AAU. An interpretive paradigm also informs the detailed judgements made by experts of a suggested action plan for progressively providing support for students with VI at AAU. The study also applied the critical disability paradigm as a complementary philosophical base in order to examine critically the challenges that students with VI face and to suggest ways to transform the inclusive policies and practices of AAU in favour of the students. The researcher undertook a Delphi investigation to address the main aim of this research (i.e. to determine how best to implement an action plan that progressively increases support for students with VI at AAU over a period of time). The action plan that comprises various support measures and the necessary resources was developed using the empirical results of this study as well as the existing findings and best practices found in the literature study. It was scrutinized and approved by a number of experts. The researcher recommends that the plan should be implemented over the next five years at AAU in order to improve the support provided to students with VI. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

According to Hatlen (2004), most learners with disabilities in an inclusive educational setting are socially isolated. This statement contributed to the research question of this study, how do learners with visual impairment experience the social aspects of their inclusion in a Namibian mainstream secondary school? The aim of this study was to design a case study to analyse and describe data collected from learners with visual impairment and other participants to determine how they are socially included in a mainstream setting. A qualitative research methodology was used, which included purposive sampling to select participants. The researcher functioned in an interpretive/constructivist paradigm. It was found that the learners with disabilities and the able-bodied learners do not truly mix, however, the learners with disabilities are content in the mainstream school and they prefer it. / Om aan 'n groep te behoort en sosiaal ingesluit te voel is 'n basiese menslike behoefte - dit is net so belangrik soos die basiese behoeftes van kos en veiligheid. Sosiale inklusie kan as een van die kritiese elemente beskou word wat onderskei tussen mense wat ongesteld is en mense wat gesond is. Betekenisvolle verhoudings dra by tot self-aktualisering. Lae sosiale inklusie beteken vir leerders eensaamheid en swak aanvaarding deur portuurgroepe. Sosiale inklusie is van groot belang vir kinders se ontwikkeling. Navorsing het bevind dat inklusiewe hoofstroomskole die effektiefste manier is om diskriminasie te beveg en sosiale insluiting te bevorder. Hatlen (2004) is van mening dat die groter meerderheid van leerders met gestremdhede in 'n hoofstroomskool sosiaal gei soleerd is. Die doel van hierdie kwalitatiewe studie was om leerders met gestremdhede se persepsie van hulle eie sosiale aanvaarding binne 'n inklusiewe hoofstroom sekondere skool te ondersoek. Die navorser het binne 'n interpretatiewe/konstruktivistiese paradigma gewerk. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie is gevolg en het die volgende ingesluit: doelbewuste seleksie om te bepaal wie die deelnemers sou wees; onderhoude, observasie, dokumente en refleksies om data te genereer; en inhoudsanalise om die data te analiseer. Navorsingsbevindinge dui aan dat leerders met gestremdhede vir jare afgesonder was van die res van die samelewing deur hierdie leerders in spesiale skole te plaas. Dit het veroorsaak dat mense vervreemd van mekaar is en het 'n skeiding tussen 'ons' en 'hulle' veroorsaak. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van bewusmaking tussen leerders met gestremdhede en leerders sonder gestremdhede. Daar kom wel afknouery voor op die skoolgronde en ware vriendskappe tussen leerders met gestremdhede en leerders sonder gestremdhede vind nie in die ware sin van die woord plaas nie. Hierdie leerders is egter tevrede en verkies steeds om in 'n hoofstroomskool te wees. Inklusiewe onderwys is nog 'n nuwe konsep en in die ontwikkelingsfase in Namibie, terwyl die leerders nog onbekend is met inklusie, asook met mekaar. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Acompanha: Química inclusiva: sequência de atividades: estudo das reações químicas numa perspectiva multissensorial / Há alguns anos está acontecendo no Brasil a transferência dos alunos com necessidades especiais da Educação Especial para o Ensino Regular. No entanto, a escola e os educadores não foram preparados para essa mudança, prevalecendo ainda barreiras físicas e atitudinais para a inclusão. Acredita-se nessa pesquisa que uma das formas de resolver este problema é trabalhar a inclusão de alunos cegos por meio da experimentação e recursos didáticos digitais. Na literatura científica, já existem vários recursos didáticos que foram criados ou adaptados, porém ainda há muito a se fazer, principalmente para alunos com necessidades especiais. Considerando a teoria de Vigotski, em que os alunos com necessidades especiais devem aprender os mesmos conteúdos com o mesmo grau de exigência que os demais, e utilizando uma metodologia multissensorial, desenvolveu-se um material didático constituído de uma sequência didática e materiais adaptados com a finalidade de facilitar o processo ensino aprendizagem do conteúdo reações químicas por parte de alunos com ou sem problemas de visão. A pesquisa de análise do material desenvolvido foi do tipo qualitativa, sendo realizada com alunos de segundo ano do ensino médio. A criação de um programa computacional acessível, e sua associação à experimentação, bem como a sequência de atividades, se mostraram eficientes na melhora da aprendizagem e da inclusão efetiva dos deficientes visuais. / In Brazil, it has now been a few years since students with special needs have been transferred from there specialized institutions to be absorbed in the regular educational system. However, the building infrastructure of schools and the teachers are generally not prepared for this encounter, and barriers are prevailing for proper inclusion of these students. In this research, we believe that one of the ways to solve the problem of inclusion of blind students is trough experiments and digital teaching resources. Regarding Vygotsky’s theory, students with disabilities must learn the same content with the same level of requirement as other students using a multisensory approach. We have developed teaching materials that counts with a sequence of activities and adapted materials to facilitate the teaching and learning of chemical reactions, for students with or without vision problems. The analysis of the research was qualitative, with students from the second grade of high school. The experiments associated to the computer program developed, the activities and materials showed the effective improved learning and also showed the effective inclusion of the visually impaired students.

Acompanha: Química inclusiva: sequência de atividades: estudo das reações químicas numa perspectiva multissensorial / Há alguns anos está acontecendo no Brasil a transferência dos alunos com necessidades especiais da Educação Especial para o Ensino Regular. No entanto, a escola e os educadores não foram preparados para essa mudança, prevalecendo ainda barreiras físicas e atitudinais para a inclusão. Acredita-se nessa pesquisa que uma das formas de resolver este problema é trabalhar a inclusão de alunos cegos por meio da experimentação e recursos didáticos digitais. Na literatura científica, já existem vários recursos didáticos que foram criados ou adaptados, porém ainda há muito a se fazer, principalmente para alunos com necessidades especiais. Considerando a teoria de Vigotski, em que os alunos com necessidades especiais devem aprender os mesmos conteúdos com o mesmo grau de exigência que os demais, e utilizando uma metodologia multissensorial, desenvolveu-se um material didático constituído de uma sequência didática e materiais adaptados com a finalidade de facilitar o processo ensino aprendizagem do conteúdo reações químicas por parte de alunos com ou sem problemas de visão. A pesquisa de análise do material desenvolvido foi do tipo qualitativa, sendo realizada com alunos de segundo ano do ensino médio. A criação de um programa computacional acessível, e sua associação à experimentação, bem como a sequência de atividades, se mostraram eficientes na melhora da aprendizagem e da inclusão efetiva dos deficientes visuais. / In Brazil, it has now been a few years since students with special needs have been transferred from there specialized institutions to be absorbed in the regular educational system. However, the building infrastructure of schools and the teachers are generally not prepared for this encounter, and barriers are prevailing for proper inclusion of these students. In this research, we believe that one of the ways to solve the problem of inclusion of blind students is trough experiments and digital teaching resources. Regarding Vygotsky’s theory, students with disabilities must learn the same content with the same level of requirement as other students using a multisensory approach. We have developed teaching materials that counts with a sequence of activities and adapted materials to facilitate the teaching and learning of chemical reactions, for students with or without vision problems. The analysis of the research was qualitative, with students from the second grade of high school. The experiments associated to the computer program developed, the activities and materials showed the effective improved learning and also showed the effective inclusion of the visually impaired students.

The study explores the experiences of inclusion of learners with visual impairment into mainstream schools in Mdantsane and Duncan Village in the Eastern Cape. The learners previously attended a special school away from home for the visually impaired in Port Elizabeth. The study delves into the barriers to inclusion as identified by the parents, educators and learners. A study of this nature was essential as many learners with visual impairment, are sent away to special schools on the grounds that they are unfit to attend mainstream schools when they could do well in mainstream schools when provided with appropriate support. As inclusive education is fairly new in South Africa, studies of this kind provide the Department of Education with some understanding of what the situation is with regard to the implementation of inclusive policies. The study attempts to establish from the participants what they think inclusive education is, the reason for introducing inclusive education, the barriers to inclusive education and the kind of support required to implement inclusive education in South Africa. Data collection was through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. A sample of educators, learners and parents was selected from two high schools and one primary school. Coding was used in data reduction and analysis. The study revealed that some learners, educators and parents are not totally against inclusive education as long as they could be provided with the necessary support. The study also revealed the excitement of learners and parents about attending nearby schools which are close to their homes. However two parents and learners are not satisfied due to lack of support and would rather go back to special school. The study ends with recommendations about how inclusive education could be intensified to ensure that learners with disabilities benefit from the mainstream schools. There is no doubt that this research study will be a strong contribution towards inclusive education initiatives particularly with regard to learners with visual impairment in the Eastern Cape Province.

My graduation theses under the title "Past and present Elementary school of Jaroslav Jezek in the context of teaching Czech language" thesis deals with the early education and teaching of visually impaired children in the Private institution for blind children and sick eyes and further it describes the current characteristics and principles of teaching visually impaired children at the elementary school of Jaroslav Jezek. The graduation theses is divided into five chapters. The first chapter deals with the history of education and teaching visually impaired children in the Czech lands. The second chapter summarizes the principles and specifics of teaching and further highlights the importance of touch and compensatory aids during the class. The third chapter follows the influence of reading and the spoken word for children with visual impairments. The fourth chapter deals with the current concept of teaching the Czech language. The fifth chapter is dedicated to competitions and cultural events, in which children at Elementary school of Jaroslav Jezek participate. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)