Study Materials for Teaching Business English to Visually-Impaired Students

Abstract

The article deals with the assistive technologies that can be used by visually-impaired students to master Business English. The research aimed at developing a special academic course that would allow visually-challenged students to interact with their groupmates during distance learning. The author developed an audio book called Business English: Audio Materials for Visually-Impaired Students and based the new course on the existing assistive technologies. The book includes audio materials, e.g., lectures, examples of business communication, exercises with answer keys, extra tasks with answer keys, a final test, and an audio dictionary of business vocabulary. The course can be taught as tutorials or independently. The teaching and presenting methods proved effective and satisfy the requirements for educational courses for the blind and visually impaired people. The article shows the way the theory and practice presented in the audio format can facilitate the process of learning business vocabulary by listening.