Evaluating the role of social inclusion in the self-esteem and academic inclusion of adolescents with vision impairment

There is very little research into the social dimensions of school inclusion in adolescents with vision impairment. The authors conducted two empirical studies to examine the following two dimensions of social inclusion in school: school belonging and close relationships at school. The relationship between school belonging and self-esteem and the relationship between close relationships at school and academic inclusion were also examined. Both studies recruited adolescents with severe sight impairment, sight impairment, and sighted adolescents. Study 1 involved 44 adolescents aged 12–18 years attending both mainstream and special schools in the United Kingdom. The research highlighted the school experiences of adolescents with vision impairment and underlined the positive role of school inclusion in their academic experiences and socio-emotional development. Unexpectedly, it appears that adolescents with sight impairment experience socio-emotional challenges in their school inclusion, which should be addressed in future research and practice.