Training Needs of Professionals and Mentors for Developing an Online Course to Encourage Inclusive Education of Students with Sensory Disabilities

Students with sensory disabilities (visual and/or hearing) often face negative assumptions about their ability to pursue higher education. Therefore, professionals and mentors require appropriate training to support the inclusive education of these students. The Peer4Progress (P4P) project aimed to provide an online course for professionals and mentors dealing with students with sensory disabilities. To identify training needs, a questionnaire was self-designed using the Likert scale. Respondents were selected using convenience sampling. A descriptive analysis was carried out, followed by an analysis of the scores given in questions and a comparative analysis using Chi-square, Spearman’s rho and ANOVA tests. 162 questionnaires were answered from Spain, Turkey, Romania, France and Greece. Most respondents had a degree in psychology, pedagogy or primary education, with more than 10 years of experience as a teacher or guidance professional. Respondents expressed methodological and practical gaps with respect to the application of sensory stimulation programs, adaptation of educational diagnostic methods, and vocational guidance. Furthermore, the priority was acquiring knowledge regarding technical equipment to facilitate communication, basic visual and auditory perception skills, students’ environment, and curriculum adaptation. We identified training gaps which served as the basis for developing the P4P course, aimed at fostering inclusion in higher education.