Teachers' Lived Experiences with Students with Sensory Impairments in Special Education Settings: A Study in Iran

Teaching students with sensory impairments poses distinct challenges for teachers, as it demands the use of specialized teaching methods and dealing with disability-related problems of these children. Although numerous studies examine the experiences of teachers working with students with sensory impairments in inclusive settings, research focused on special education environments—especially in non-Western contexts such as Iran—remains scarce. This study aimed to explore Iranian teachers' lived experiences with students with sensory impairments (hearing and visual) in special schools and to provide appropriate solutions. Using a basic qualitative research approach and purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 teachers who met the necessary criteria. The themes, categories, and subcategories were extracted after line-by-line coding in MAXQDA software and analyzing the data. Based on the findings, 12 and 10 challenges were identified for the hearing and visual impairment groups, respectively. The most serious challenges for the hearing impairment group were: the need for effective training programs, the teacher’s psychological state, and classroom organization. For the visual impairment group, the most common challenges included lack of parental involvement, insufficient educational/assistive resources, and classroom organization. Based on the synthesis of the findings, research recommendations, proposed actions, and policy suggestions were provided, addressing human resource management, hiring processes, academic calendars, training programs, teacher motivation, cultural awareness, educational/assistive tools, and learning environments. These policy recommendations could offer valuable insights to countries navigating the balance between inclusive and special education models, thereby broadening our global perspective on these educational settings.