Programa de intervención online para alumnado universitario con discapacidad visual en tiempos de Covid

Abstract

Attention to people with disabilities, in this case visual impairment, is particularly relevant to achieve an inclusive educational context in any university. During the period of confinement and social distancing of the current pandemic, it was necessary to adapt the face-to-face psychoeducational counselling programmes to their needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the whole process followed in the virtual reorganisation of a care programme for visually impaired students developed at the Student Support Centre of the University of Alicante. A design-based methodology based on educational practice has been used. The results confirmed that the new counselling in the online format fostered a stimulating environment with highly active interactions between counsellor and students, self-regulation conducive to learning and interpersonal and communication skills using the virtual format. It was concluded that proper planning, development and evaluation of such programmes can enrich the psychosocial and educational development of students. However, more progress needs to be made in the digitalisation of university counselling and to strengthen the online modality in the current context of a 21st century technological society.