SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT: THE VIEWS OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Social support is essential for overcoming the difficulties that students with special educational needs face in interacting with peers. The goal of the study was to explore the perspective of students presenting with hearing, visual and physical or motor deficiencies and specific learning difficulties about what they consider to be social support. To this end, we developed a qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 students (3rd to the 12th grade; 8 to 18 years old). Answers were analyzed from previously defined categories, subcategories emerged from the data. Students valued the availability of their classmates and teachers to support and involve them in class activities, as well as expressions of empathy, care and attention. Students mentioned situations of rejection and exclusion. The paper discusses conditions that favor mutual knowledge and a culture of reciprocal social support, both of which are essential to facilitate students' social participation.