The Development of Teacher Education for Teachers of the Visually Impaired Learners in Kenya: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

History informs the present and helps in prediction of the future. This paper examines the historical development of teacher education for the teachers of the Visually Impaired (VI) learners in Kenya. The paper presents the strides made and the challenges experienced in the development of this type of education from the time it was introduced in Kenya up to the present. Historical research design was employed in data collection, analysis and interpretation. Data was evaluated through external and internal criticisms. The historical inquiry was done through collection of archival data through archival research, collection of data through interviews and research into secondary materials in libraries. Data collected was analyzed qualitatively through triangulation and deduction of themes. The research findings in the paper provide an overview of the state of teacher education for the teachers of the VI in Kenya. The research findings reveal the disintegrated efforts in training of teachers for the VI before the establishment of the first teacher training college for Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers in 1986. The paper presents the developments realized thereafter such as the establishment of SNE departments in some Kenyan Universities.

Keywords: Teacher Education, Special Education, Education for Visually Impaired Learners

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-32-12

Publication date: November 30^th 2019