Małgorzata Jedynak

Dr. Małgorzata Jedynak is a distinguished academic at the University of Wrocław's Institute of English Philology, Department of Glottodidactics, specializing in language education for visually impaired learners. With a PhD in applied linguistics obtained in 2004, she has established herself as a leading expert in typhlopedagogy and typhlopsychology. As chair of the TYFLO Research Group since 2016, she coordinates interdisciplinary research on language learning for blind and partially sighted students. Her administrative roles include serving as coordinator of cooperation between the Institute of English Philology and the Center for Foreign Language Teaching in Wrocław since 2020, and chairwoman of the Lower Silesian Chapter of the Polish Society of Modern Languages.

Dr. Jedynak's research focuses on the intersection of visual impairment and language acquisition, exploring how blind and partially sighted learners develop linguistic competence. Her work examines affective factors in language learning, pronunciation acquisition challenges, vocabulary strategies, and the impact of EU language education policies on special needs education. She has edited multiple publications addressing specific needs of higher education students with visual impairments, including the comprehensive 'Language education of students with special educational needs' and 'Current Research in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education' with Springer.

Her scholarly contributions reveal consistent trends in adapting language teaching methodologies for visually impaired learners, with particular attention to sensory compensation strategies, emotional factors in language acquisition, and the implementation of European language frameworks in special education contexts. Dr. Jedynak's research bridges theoretical linguistics with practical classroom applications, emphasizing the importance of inclusive language education policies across the European Union.

As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Jedynak serves on the Scientific Board of the Neophilolog journal since 2018 and has organized numerous scientific conferences, including the annual INJO (Innovations in Foreign Language Teaching) conference series. Her leadership in the TYFLO Research Group has fostered collaborations across disciplines to address the complex challenges faced by visually impaired language learners.

Dr. Jedynak's work extends to developing specialized teaching materials and strategies for blind and partially sighted learners, including tactile and auditory approaches to vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation training. Her research on the 'Listen and touch' project critically examines various methods of teaching foreign language vocabulary to students with vision deficits, pioneering innovative techniques that have influenced special language education practices in Poland and beyond.