Assessing the Contribution of Visual Arts Education To Mentally Handicapped Students Through the Opinions of Special Education Teachers

Visual arts course is an important instrument that supports the child’s psychological and physical development. as a result, everyone should benefit from this course. the aim of this study is to emphasize the impact of visual arts education on the motor skills improvement of mentally handicapped students in the first level of elementary education. the study has been conducted in the following fields: the type of visual arts education for mentally handicapped students, the importance of visual arts education for special education and the way in which special education teachers teach visual arts. special education teachers have been consulted to determine the impact of visual arts education on mentally handicapped students. the study has been conducted in the province of bursa, with surveys including 85 special education teachers in 15 special education institutions. the results have been summarized in tables and then analyzed. the results indicate that a majority of teachers believe that visual arts education has a positive impact on the development of disabled children and visual arts courses improve the hand-eye coordination, motor skills and personal development of these children. according to the results arrived at through the opinions of special education teachers, it has been suggested that a detailed arts education program be prepared, arts instructors competent in their field be employed in special education institutions and special studios be designed in view of the handicaps of students. the abovementioned arts education program should include individually tailored activities in which the technique can easily be taught to students and should support the personal development of mentally handicapped students.