Inclusion of Students with Visual Impairment in the Public School System in Portugal
Inclusion of students with visual impairment in the public school system in Portugal

Summary/Abstract: The Portuguese public education system provides two types of settings for students with visual impairment: reference schools and regular inclusive schools. This article addresses the current legal framework underlying the inclusion of students with disability in Portugal and describes the features each one of these settings holds regarding (i) the available resources, (ii) their location, (iii) eligibility criteria, and (iv) the curriculum provided to students with visual impairment. Data was obtained from a government agency responsible for collecting and statistically analyze all national data related to education. The findings illustrate that, in the first schooling years, less than half of the students with visual impairment have attended a reference school, mostly in the Northern and Lisbon regions. These data stress the need for more studies that lead to better understanding of the reasons that underlie the choices of families regarding the educational context attended by their visually impaired children, and their conclusions should serve the competent authorities as a guiding tool for a possible reformulation or reorientation of inclusive policies.

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