Are There Any Differences between the Texts Written by Students Who Are Blind, Those Who Are Partially Sighted, and Those with Normal Vision?

Abstract

The aim was prepared in order to analyze the linguistic ability of children with visual impairment and children with normal vision. Several features of the narrative episodes produced were investigated, including quantity, quality, the connections between them and the structural elements which they consist of. Central tendency measures and dispersion measures were applied, in addition to inferential measures. This leads us to the conclusion that the structural parts making up the texts depend on a great extent to the individual style of each subject. However, the two groups are markedly different in certain parts. Finally, pupils who were older and educated to a higher level have shown greater development of narrative ability, engaging more with the essential part quite largely forgotten in the younger pupils’ texts. With regard to the connections established by the pupils between the various episodes making up their narratives, the texts produced by pupils with visual impairments show predominantly temporary connections. Significant differences were found between the texts written by students who had normal vision and those who were blind or partially sighted. The greatest differences were observed in the length of the text and the complete episodes: both measures were greater in the texts written by students with normal vision.

Keywords

• assessment of narrative texts
• narrative texts
• pupils with blindness
• pupils with visual impairments
• written expression.