Influence of Emotional Adjustment for Students with Visual Impairment in an Inclusive Setting

Abstract

Inclusive education represents a fundamental approach to ensuring equitable learning opportunities for all students, including those with visual impairment, by integrating them into mainstream classrooms to promote academic and social growth. This paper explores how inclusive education fosters the social skills development of learners with visual impairment in Nigeria, addressing the unique challenges posed by their condition, such as difficulties in interpreting non-verbal cues and navigating interactions, while emphasizing the need for adapted teaching methods, assistive technologies, and supportive environments. Key benefits include enhanced social interactions that build confidence, friendships, and independence; improved academic outcomes through accessible resources; and reduced stigma via peer empathy. The body examines strategies like role-playing, peer mentoring, social stories, and positive feedback to cultivate communication and teamwork skills, alongside challenges such as inadequate teacher training, limited materials in Braille or audio formats, poor infrastructure, and societal discrimination that hinder implementation. In conclusion, inclusive education not only empowers learners with visual impairment to achieve social integration and holistic development but also contributes to a more empathetic society, underscoring its transformative potential despite resource constraints. Recommendations include prioritizing teacher training on inclusive practices, allocating funds for assistive devices and accessible materials, launching anti-stigma campaigns, incorporating social skill-building activities into curricula, improving school accessibility, enforcing policy implementation with monitoring, and encouraging parental and community involvement to support home-based skill reinforcement.