Challenges of visually impaired university students in education: A meta-synthesis study

Abstract

Along with the expansion of education and laying the foundations of self-sufficiency for all members of society, the visually impaired students continued their education with other students in various fields of higher education. In this process, the limitations caused by visual impairment and the limitations originating from the shortcomings of the environment other than the visually impaired individuals themselves lead to many difficulties, which must be minimised to receive quality education. The aim of the research is to interpret and evaluate the problems and suggest solutions to visually impaired university students and reveal their similar and different aspects and new inferences through a systematic review of qualitative research findings between the years 2000 and 2021, using a meta-synthesis method. The results suggest that accessing campus from residence, accessing information, using technology and virtual materials on campus, social and educational attitudes, educational conditions, and assessment results cause different difficulties for visually impaired university students. Issuing legal regulations, improving the performance level of the visually impaired individuals in orientation and mobility, providing professional staff training, and procuring trained live readers or screen readers, hearing aids, touching aids, and helpers, as well as providing sufficient time for analysing tactile materials such as Braille and carefully answering the questions, are all recommended to solve the rising difficulties.