Strategies for Enhancing Access and Retention of Learners with Visual Impairments in Regular Universal Primary Education (UPE) Schools in South Western Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate strategies for enhancing access and retention of Learners with Visual Impairments (LVI) in regular Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools. The study was conducted in seven districts within South Western Uganda. The objectives of the study were to establish the Braille skills possessed by teachers, to determine the availability of adapted materials, equipment and devices for LVI, to establish the skills that had been acquired by LVI in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and their skills in Orientation and Mobility (O&M); to establish the physical adaptations that had been put in the environment to facilitate access and retention of LVI in regular UPE schools; and to determine the curriculum adaptations that had been put in place to suit the needs of LVI. The study adapted the theory of access by Ribot and Peluso (2003),  deals with all possible means by which a person is able to benefit from things, and it was supplemented by the theory of adaptation by Sherrill (2008); which  deals with strategies to enable a person achieve the stipulated rights. The target population was learners with visual impairments (LVI) from established integrated schools and from regular UPE schools, Teachers of LVI from established integrated schools and from regular UPE schools, head teachers from established integrated and regular UPE schools, plus inspectors of schools incharge od Special Needs Education. This paper presents findings obtained through a mixed method research design involving both qualitative and quantitative descriptive methods with a sample of 147 respondents. Raw data was obtained through questionnaires, interviews, observation and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Data obtained from close – ended items of the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively, while data obtained from open ended items were analyzed qualitatively. Data collected using interview, observation and FGD was coded, quantified, categorized and analyzed following the themes derived from the research objectives. Findings were presented using descriptive methods. The major finding was that most of the required facilities to help LVI access learning were missing in regular UPE schools. The study concluded that; overall, the strategies for enhancing access and retention of LVI were generally lacking in regular UPE schools. The study recommended that government should guarantee good quality education to LVI in regular UPE schools by providing human and financial resources as a way to reinforce the UPE policy (1997) which gave priority to children with disabilities to access regular UPE schools.

Keywords: Strategies,  Accesss, retention,  Learners with visual impairments (LVI), Regular Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools,  Established Integrated Schools