ABSTRACT:

The perceptions of teachers and students (in classrooms with young people with and without blindness) about the teaching and learning of genetics were investigated through a semi-structured questionnaire for teachers and a Likert scale questionnaire for students. Data analysis followed a differential approach, without a comparison group. Data were categorized according to content analysis, followed by a qualitative and quantitative treatment. Results evidenced a strong influence of visual reference both for teachers' and typical students' perceptions about the difficulties in learning genetics. Although typical students and teachers recognize that images used in genetics classes are facilitating tools of abstract concepts, they still present difficulties despite the use of visual strategies. On the other hand, blind students pointed to the damages caused by the acritical use of these resources, as they hindered the learning of concepts. Thus, it seems that the primacy of visual reference blinds us all, blocking the perception that beyond seeing is the constructive act of knowing, and that people who cannot see may indicate different paths from the ones pre-established for learning non-visual concepts.

KEYWORDS:
Special Education; Inclusion; Visual impairment