Non-sighted learners’ experiences towards phonology and phonetics teaching methods in higher education: an exploration of efficiency, access and performance

Universities have a mandate to accommodate non-sighted students, but it has been widely reported by a considerable number of visually impaired students that they confront a plethora of difficulties in their pursuit of education. The present study employed a descriptive research design to delineate and record the attributes, viewpoints, and circumstances of the twenty-five shortsighted and non-sighted students who were the subjects of inquiry in this investigation. More specifically, this mixed-method approach study aimed to underscore the difficulties faced by non-sighted students while pursuing their studies in Phonetics and Phonology at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences and the Faculty of the Arabic Language in Marrakech. Results indicated that visually impaired and non-sighted students encountered particular challenges in comprehending this university course due to the intricate nature of the structural information involved. Students with visual impairment, in this study, faced difficulties in Phonetics and Phonology as they were unable to understand the course material due to the absence of aid materials. Additionally, the final exams for these courses did not cater to the needs of non-sighted students. Finally, the study showed that a comprehensive and precise depiction of the current state of affairs of the cases examined, while relying on in-depth interviews, should be a priority.