This study aims to look in more detail into the mental representation of reality in congenitally blind children when compared with normal-sighted children in basic education in a regular school in Portugal. Starting with the theoretical fundamentals, its intention is to analyze different children over time as well as the current society, vis-à-vis these children. We undertook two case studies and combined quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis of these cases reveals two different paths in the integration of the congenitally blind children, a differentiation that does not result from processes of adapting to the specific child from a humanistic perspective, but rather from the physical (schools) and organizational (Special Education) conditions.
SPECIAL EDUCATION; VISUAL HANDICAPS; CHILDREN; SCHOOL INTEGRATION