“Then we had to analyse a picture” - blind immigrant student in upper secondary school

Abstract

Inclusion is a key principle in the Norwegian school system. Nevertheless, there are still a large number of students who feel that they do not belong in the learning community. The primary focus of this research is the immigrant student’s own experience of support when learning difficulties were linked to visual impairments. In this study, I follow the thematic life history of a single student in order to go in depth on this student’s narrative. The perspective of the student is highlighted based on the blind student’s self-reporting through an in-depth interview. The narrative has been analysed based on sociological theory, primarily Bauman’s theory of the stranger and togetherness. The results show that inadequate adaptation and poor proportional support from the teacher lead to a poor perception of inclusion. It may seem that the sensory impairment is a more important reason for this than the fact that the student is an immigrant. The blind immigrant student is treated as a stranger and is unable to assume a student role involving learning-promoting encounters with fellow students or teachers. The impetus for completing upper secondary school is to achieve a grade transcript, rather than the motivation that could have been provided by a safe and positive learning environment.