Problems of visually impaired teachers amd solutions: İstanbul example

The main purpose of the study is to identify the main problems that visually impaired teachers face while performing their professions and to propose functional solutions to these problems. For this aim, the problems faced by the visually impaired teachers working in our country while performing their professions were examined studying with visually impaired high school teachers working in Istanbul. In the first part of the study, the issue of disability is generally discussed, disability and disability groups are explained in the light of the definitions and disability theories. Throughout history, different disability models have been developed to explain disability. The most important of these are Medical Disability Model, Social Disability Model and ICF Model. In the second part of the study, it is explained by following the historical line under the headings of education and employment of visually impaired. As a good education will bring along a good job, the extent to which the individuals who do not see can benefit from the educational opportunities or why they cannot benefit from them are explained with reasons. In the third part of the study, the wrong approaches of the visually impaired and other people in the society were examined and the effects of these approaches to a visually impaired teacher were explained and the findings obtained from the interviews with visually impaired teachers working in various high schools in Istanbul were explained. In the conclusion part of the study, functional solutions to the problems experienced by the visually impaired teachers while performing their professions were proposed. Keywords: visually impaired, teacher, social disability model, accessibility, prejudice