Social practices in the context of sensorial disabilities inclusion in the public schools of Copiapó Chile

Abstract

The aim of the study is to describe the social practices that the state, schools and families elaborate to address the inclusion of visual and auditory sensory disabilities in the educational context of the city of Copiapó. Participants included experts on topics of sensory inclusion, teachers and families of children and young people with a sensory impairment. The study was conducted from a qualitative descriptive approach that incorporate some of the elements proposed by the method of the Grounded Theory, through interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The key informants considered the educational inclusion to be poor with regard to the material resources, physical access to the school facilities, technical, human and infrastructure resources of the educational devices. By this information it was concluded there is a gap between what the Chilean State had declared about sensorial inclusion by their laws and decrees, and what the educational institution and the experts and the families actually understand and finally do for inclusion in the educational system.