Instructional Challenges Facing Learners With Disability in Kenya: a Case Study of Kibwezi District, Makueni County

Abstract

This study is on the instructional challenges facing learners with disability in Kibwezi District, Makueni County. It contends that to ensure that learners with disability are not denied access to education because of their disability, there is need for a conducive environment that takes care of the instructional needs for all learners, including those with disabilities. The objectives of the study included exammmg the attitude of teachers towards broadening the right to education by LWDs, assessing the appropriateness of the curriculum and other resources in use for learners with disability in enhancing their educational needs, finding out the attitude of the LWDs towards education, finding out the socio-economic and cultural factors that influence the realization of the right to education by LWDs, and establishing the influence of government policy through the Ministry of Education on education for LWDs. The study will provide information and data regarding the current situation on the educational instructional challenges facing LWDs. It will provide useful guidelines on policy matters relating to LWDs and serve as a source from which future development of the curriculum can be based. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance and Standard Officers (QASO) may use the findings to enforce teaching and learning of LWDs; this will also aid in in-service training courses and workshops for teachers handling the subject. This is a case study, employing survey methods. It was aimed at getting familiarity and new insights into teachers' attitude towards inclusive education for LWDs in Kenya. Kibwezi district has been selected as the study site. It is deemed suitable for this study because it is a typical representative of a rural district in Kenya with many school-going children with disability challenges. The study used non-probability sampling design to sample a total of 90 respondents. The study reached an estimate of 50 teachers in the public schools from the district that have LWDs, 3 program staff from AMREF CBR programme, 4 senior education officers and 3 officials of the persons with disability organization, 30 pupils, with and without disability. Interview schedules were the major tools of data collection. The interview guides were administered by the researcher and research assistants. They were appropriate for the study because they allowed for clarifications when the study was ongoing. The data for the study was then analyzed qualitatively. The researcher sorted out the collected data for themes and patterns based on the research questions and presented the relationships. The findings were then presented in narrative form. The study concluded that there is need for the government to post more special education needs teachers, and build classes that match the needs of the learners based on their nature of disability.