Assistive Technology in the Construction of Number Concepts: A Study Entailing Actions of Teachers and Visually Impaired Students

Resumo

Background: With the constant insertion of visually impaired learners in regular basic education in Brazil, it is important to create and/or adapt methodologies and equipment capable of aiding in the intellectual and social development of these students.  Objective: This article intends to reflect on the usage of AT (Assistive Technology) as well as the utilisation of adapted materials for visually challenged students in the early years of primary school. Design: With a qualitative approach, it is inspired by the Discursive Textual Analysis. Setting and Participants: The research included not only teachers who teach mathematics in both the Specialized Educational Service (SES) and regular classrooms, but also low-vision students in an inclusive school. Data collection and analysis: A snippet of the meta-text is presented, which, through the analysis of the services provided in the SES, ponders about the students’ necessities and activities within AT for the teaching of number concepts. Results: The research results attest that the usage of AT is, indeed, imperative in the students’ construction of mathematical concepts with the intention of implementing Inclusive Mathematics Education. Conclusions: Simple adaptations, such as providing materials in Braille for visually impaired students, are actions that classroom teachers could adopt, counting on the assistance of Specialized Educational Service professionals.