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Teaching science and mathematics to students with visual impairments: Reflections of a visually impaired technician

MAGUVHE, Mbulaheni
2016

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This study reports on factors that limit the participation of blind and partially sighted learners in mathematics and science education. Since the teacher, still remains one of the most crucial factors in any education system, the researcher deemed it important to investigate the role of the teacher as understood by a blind technician in promoting the participation of blind and partially sighted learners in mathematics and science subjects, which few of these learners take beyond primary school. A case study was conducted interrogating a blind technician, who regards himself as an unqualified scientist, in his understanding of various school factors that could entice blind and partially sighted learners to participate in mathematics and science education, and to promote their retention in related professions. The participant thus drew from his own experiences of the school environment and wider concentric social institutions. A semi-structured interview schedule was followed and the responses were recorded by mutual consent. Analysis was conducted based on questions put to the participant. The study revealed that teacher motivation and mentorship in mathematics and science methodologies and the use of tools for learner empowerment are lacking. It further revealed that teachers lack the requisite skills in special education to harness learner potential in mathematics and science. This situation necessitates government action in teacher training and development.

Best Practice Guides for professional supporting autistic students in Higher education. Guide 1: Best practice for HEI managers and senior academics

FABRI, Marc
ANDREWS, Penny
PUKKI, Heta
March 2016

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This guide is for managers and senior academics at universities and higher education institutions, to provide with information and evidence to help develop policies and practices that will benefit autistic students and improve the student experience. It was developed from work in five European countries. It is one of three guides to help higher education professionals support autistic students.

Best Practice Guides for professionals supporting autistic students in Higher Education. Guide 3: For professionals supporting autistic students within or outside HE Institutions

FABRI, Marc
ANDREWS, Penny
PUKI, Heta
March 2016

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This guide is for specialists directly supporting autistic students. This may be as part of a disability support team within a Higher Education Institution (HEI), or for an independent organisation that provides services to HE. Insights from research and from good practice across Europe are shared to help improve student experiences and engagement with information and services, and to develop expertise.

Preparation of students with disabilities to graduate into professions in the South African context of higher learning: Obstacles and opportunities

NDLOVU, Sibonokuhle
WALTON, Elizabeth
2016

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Background: Persons with disabilities continue to be excluded from professions in South Africa despite legislation on non-discrimination and equity. Objectives: We sought to identify both the opportunities and obstacles that students with disabilities face in professional degrees.

 

Method: Selected texts from the South African and international literature were analysed and synthesised.

 

Results: Students with disabilities are afforded opportunities to graduate into professions through the current climate of transformation, inclusion and disability policies, various support structures and funding. These opportunities are mitigated by obstacles at both the higher education site and at the workplace. At university, they may experience difficulties in accessing the curriculum, disability units may be limited in the support they can offer, policies may not be implemented, funding is found to be inadequate and the built environment may be inaccessible. Fieldwork poses additional obstacles in terms of public transport which is not accessible to students with disabilities; a lack of higher education support extended to the field sites, and buildings not designed for access by people with disabilities. At both sites, students are impacted by negative attitudes and continued assumptions that disability results from individual deficit, rather than exclusionary practices and pressures.

 

Conclusion: It is in the uniqueness of professional preparation, with its high demands of both theory and practice that poses particular obstacles for students with disabilities. We argue for the development of self-advocacy for students with disabilities, ongoing institutional and societal transformation and further research into the experiences of students with disabilities studying for professional degrees.

Including alternative stories in the mainstream. How transcultural young people in Norway perform creative cultural resistance in and outside of school

DEWILDE, Joke
SKREFSRUD, Thor-André
2016

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The development of an inclusive pedagogy takes on new urgency in Norwegian schools as the student body has become increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse. Traditionally, the Norwegian school has been dominated by homogenising and assimilating discourses, whereas alternative voices have been situated at the margins. In response to this tendency, we present two transcultural students’ autoethnographic stories produced in alternative spaces to the Norwegian mainstream, that is, in a transition class for newly arrived students and on Facebook. Both spaces are perceived as contact zones in the sense that they are culturally and linguistically complex. This article illustrates how the students perform cultural and linguistic resistance towards dominant homogenising discourses as the transition class and Facebook seem to offer opportunities for constructing alternative stories. Moreover, we contend that these alternative stories offer important knowledge for conventional education contexts since they represent stories of competence in contrast to the assumed limitations of these students.

Towards a disability inclusive education.

SAEBONES, Ann-Marit
BERMAN BIELER Rosangela
BABOO Nafisa
BANHAM Louise
SINGA Nidhi
HOWGEGO Catherine
VUYISWA MACCLAIN-NHLAP Charlotte
RI Trine Cecilie
et al
January 2016

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Background paper for the Oslo Summit on Education for Development July 7th, 2015. This paper covers the four topics of the Oslo Summit: investment in education, quality of learning, education in emergencies and girls’ education. The inclusion of children with disabilities is a moral issue as well as an economic and social issue: the costs of exclusion are significant for both for the individual and for society. Disability inclusion should be mainstreamed in all policies and plans. Accessibility standards should be implemented and supported by international development cooperation. Currently, 1/3 of the 58 million out of school children are children with disabilities. Planning and budgeting by national governments and development partners needs to include children with disabilities. There is an immediate need for inclusive reporting and monitoring, for applying disability specific education indicators as well as a need for systematic collection of disaggregated data on disability, age and gender. Keys to achieving quality disability inclusive education include: requiring minimum standards of accessibility for all schools, including in emergency settings; investment in teacher training; ensuring that learning materials/resources are available in accessible formats and are easily adaptable; investment in assistive technology and devices; ensuring participation of Disabled People’s Organisations in education planning and monitoring.

To what extent is Universal Design for Learning “universal”? A case study in township special needs schools in South Africa

SONG, Yosung
2016

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This paper reports on a study examining the current challenges of developinginclusive education as well as the potential applicability of implementing principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in two township special needs schools in South Africa. The philosophy of UDL has been advocated by many educators as a means of developing inclusive classroom environments in the Western world. Despite the growing popularity of UDL, its universal application, especially in places with limited resources, has remained somewhat unquestioned. Using a theoretical framework that is critical of Western-centered understandings of inclusive education and pedagogy, this paper examines how understanding the educational circumstances and teacher knowledge of a local context can inform the applicability of UDL principles. The findings of this study reveal that despite teachers’ recognition of the benefits of implementing UDL principles in their practice, the unique socioeconomic conditions in South African township schools make teachers doubt the feasibility of implementing this Western concept in their classrooms. Yet, at the same time, the findings illustrate how teachers are already employing practices that are consistent with UDL principles in an attempt to cater for the needs of diverse learners. The paper concludes by asserting the need to consider the unique economic and political contexts of the global South when determining the applicability of inclusive education strategies beyond Western contexts.

 

Disability & the Global South (DGS), 2016, Vol. 3 No. 1

Enabling education review, issue 4

ENABLING EDUCATION NETWORK
December 2015

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This newsletter contains a variety of articles about inclusive education in several countries around the world. The topics focus mostly on funding, managing and sustaining inclusive education; engaging and empowering beneficiaries in finding solutions; facilitating parental and child involvement and early childhood education

Enabling Education Review, issue 4

Disability-inclusive education handbook for teachers

SPRUNT, Beth
McALEER, Jennifer
STEELE, Megan
DAVETA, Mereoni
QELENI, Merelesita
NALIVA, Litea
2015

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The Disability-Inclusive Education Handbook for Teachers is a resource that was developed in Fiji to enable teachers to improve the inclusiveness of their schools and classrooms so that children with specific educational needs benefit from a quality education alongside other children.

It contains general information about creating an inclusive school, information about a range of different types of disabilities, case studies and a selection of reproducible resources in the appendices. It is hoped this provides a balance between general information to make the school a place of quality education and participation for all children, along with a degree of specific information on common impairments and approaches that may help in working with students with these impairments.

Inclusive education: A transformation and human rights agenda under spotlight in South Africa

MAGUVHE, Mbulaheni
2015

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This study investigated the progress made in the implementation of inclusive education as a transformation and human rights tool since its inception in 2001. The study was conducted upon realising that most people underestimate the transformation and human rights value that inclusive education strives to maintain. The total number of participants interviewed was 84. Data was collected using semi-structured interview schedules for the teachers and community members, whereafter it was presented in thematic sections and qualitatively examined for meaning. The results showed that participants comprising teachers and community members do not know or understand the transformational and human rights value of inclusive education. The participants seemed to be equally aware of inclusive education, but they rated its success and value differently. The participants concurred that the philosophy of inclusive education was noble, but they differed regarding the extent to which it had transformed, added value or played an advocacy role in the lives of learners and the community at large over the years.

Knowledge of Primary School Teachers in Identifying Children with Learning Disabilities

Shari, M
Vranda, Mysore Narasimha
2015

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Purpose: This study explores the knowledge of primary school teachers inidentifying children with learning disabilities.

 

Method: The study sample consisted of 200 primary school teachers from 16 schools in Bangalore, India. The teachers’ knowledge about learning disabilities was assessed using Knowledge Questionnaire on Learning Disabilities.

 

Results: The results revealed statistically significant differences in overall knowledge and various domains across gender, type of school, education, class being taught and years of experience.

 

Conclusion: The need to improve the knowledge of primary school teachers for the identification of children with learning disabilities was highlighted. Based on the findings of the study, the “Manual for Primary School Teachers on Learning Disabilities” was developed.

Variables Influencing Emotional Intelligence of Visually Impaired Students in Higher Education

PARWEEN, S
2015

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Purpose: Emotional Intelligence is a set of abilities which enables people to understand emotions more accurately and solve problems in their emotional lives. The present study attempted to identify variables influencing emotionalintelligence (EI) of visually impaired students studying in higher educational institutions.

 

Method: A survey method of descriptive research design was adopted. 60 visually impaired students pursuing higher education were selected through purposive sampling. Their emotional intelligence (EI) was measured using ‘Mangal Emotional Intelligence Inventory’ (MEII). The collected data was analysed using differential and descriptive statistics to identify the influence of selected demographic variables on EI.

 

Results: The study results revealed that demographic variables did not have significant impact on the EI of students with visual impairment studying in higher educational institutions, except at the onset of visual impairment. Those who had lost their vision later in life seemed to have more EI than those who were congenitally blind.

 

Conclusion: Suitable training programmes should be planned to promote the emotional intelligence of those who are visually impaired since birth, because most behaviour is learnt through visual clues.

Inclusive Education at the crossroads in Ashanti and BrongAhafo regions in Ghana: Target not achievable by 2015

OPOKU, Maxwell Peprah
BADU, Eric
AMPONTENG, Michael
AGYEI-OKYERE, Elvis
2015

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Purpose: Inclusive education, widely acknowledged as an alternative method of making education accessible to children with special needs, has been piloted for 10 years in selected districts of Ghana. This article aims to discuss the feasibility of implementing it throughout the country, by assessing the inclusive education programme piloted in Ghana’s Ashanti and BrongAhafo regions.

 

Method: One round of in-depth interviews was conducted with 31 participants, to collect data on the issue under study. Participants were officials of Special Education at the national Head Office, District Special Education Coordinators, Resource Teachers, Headmasters and Classroom Teachers of inclusive education.

 

Results: The study findings indicated that the pilot programme did not live up to expectations when faced with challenges such as inaccessible environments, lack of resources, lack of funds, lack of qualified teachers, poor teaching methods and negative attitudes of teachers towards children with disabilities.

 

Conclusion: It is very unrealistic to commence inclusive education programmes unless practical measures are put in place, such as adequate funding from the government and provision of sufficient resources for inclusive schools.

Education transition for children with disabilities in Armenia

BRIDGE OF HOPE
2015

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The  research report from Armenia looks in depth at the challenges and promising practices relating to education transition in the country - from the perspectives of teachers, parents, children and young people, specialist staff and other key stakeholders. It looks at learners transitioning from kindergarten to primary education, and then to secondary and higher/vocational education, as well as to other learning opportunities and into employment

Education 2030 Incheon Declaration And Framework for action towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all

WORLD EDUCATION FORUM 2015
2015

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UNESCO together with UNICEF, the World Bank, UNFPA, UNDP, UN Women and UNHCR organized the World Education Forum 2015 in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 19 – 22 May 2015, hosted by the Republic of Korea. Over 1,600 participants from 160 countries, including over 120 Ministers, heads and members of delegations, heads of agencies and officials of multilateral and bilateral organizations, and representatives of civil society, the teaching profession, youth and the private sector, adopted the Incheon Declaration for Education 2030, which sets out a new vision for education for the next fifteen years.

Towards 2030: a new vision for education

Our vision is to transform lives through education, recognizing the important role of education as a main driver of development and in achieving the other proposed SDGs. We commit with a sense of urgency to a single, renewed education agenda that is holistic, ambitious and aspirational, leaving no one behind. This new vision is fully captured by the proposed SDG 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” and its corresponding targets. It is transformative and universal, attends to the ‘unfinished business’ of the EFA agenda and the education-related MDGs, and addresses global and national education challenges. It is inspired by a humanistic vision of education and development based on human rights and dignity; social justice; inclusion; protection; cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity; and shared responsibility and accountability. We reaffirm that education is a public good, a fundamental human right and a basis for guaranteeing the realization of other rights. It is essential for peace, tolerance, human fulfilment and sustainable development. We recognize education as key to achieving full employment and poverty eradication. We will focus our efforts on access, equity and inclusion, quality and learning outcomes, within a lifelong learning approach.

 

Action and commitments required to implement the agenda are presented.

Disabling streets or disabling education? Challenging a deficit model of street-connectedness

CORCORAN, Su Lyn
2015

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Current interventions aiming to assist street-connected children in making the transition from the street, prioritise a return to mainstream primary education. In so doing, implementing organisations equate their ideas of a normative childhood with school attendance. This article challenges the appropriateness of such priorities by exploring the experiences of teachers in four Central Kenya primary schools and examining Kenyan education policy related to street-connected children. The paper argues that teachers’ belief in their inability to support the learning of street-connected children alongside the linguistic loopholes within the wording of educational policy to allow for alternative education systems, formal education can further compound processes of marginalisation. Findings further indicate that current education policy and practice can fail to effectively incorporate street-connected children and to some extent be described as disabling.

 

Disability and the Global South (DGS), 2015, Vol. 2 No. 2

Working within the tensions of disability and education in post-colonial Kenya: Toward a praxis of critical disability studies

ELDER, Brent C
FOLEY, Alan
2015

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This paper explores emerging and evolving critical approaches to inclusive education development work in the postcolonial, global South context of Kenya. Taking an ontoformative (Connell, 2011) perspective of disability, we view disability as a dynamic process inherently tied to social contexts and their fluid effects on disabled bodies. Thus, not all impairments are a natural form of human diversity, and many are imposed on bodies in underdeveloped countries through oppressive imported Western practices. In this paper we present our work not as models of ‘what to do’ or ‘what not to do’ in development work. Rather we offer a reflection on the evolution of our understanding and approach to this work from being merely ‘progressive’ (while further exporting Northern theory), toward a more critical and self-reflexive approach. We hope this is a starting point in a dialogical process of mutual knowledge production between the global North and South that leads to better ways of conceptualizing and supporting people with disabilities in the global South.

 

Disability and the Global South (DGS), 2015, Vol. 2 No. 3

Human Rights

www.macao-tz.org
December 2014

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Malezi AIDS Care Awareness Organization (MACAO) is a non-profit organization reaching out to neglected Indigenous people in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region of Northern Tanzania.  Macao founded in 2003, Macao is a humanitarian organization that provides assistance to approximately 200,000 Indigenous Maasai community in Ngorongoro district for addressing needs of water and sanitation, food security, health Care Research, Education, Research environment, Maasai Traditional Research, Human Rights and sustainable economic development by strengthening their livelihoods.  In addition to responding to major relief situations, MACAO focuses on long-term community development through over 4 Area Development Project. We welcome the donors and volunteers to join us in this programs, we are wolking in ruro villages.

Exploring a Model of Effectual Learning for a Student Speech Pathology Placement at a Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Centre in Malaysia

VAN DORT, S
WILSON, L
COYLE, J
2014

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Purpose: Speech-language pathologists in Malaysia typically do not work within CBR. Therefore, exploring the use of services through a non-traditional student placement was a crucial first step in understanding how to develop capacity for such services. It was also important to develop an understanding of the ways in which the implementation of this student placement influenced learning in the context of a Malaysian CBR programme.

 

Method: An action research study was designed to implement and evaluate student speech-language pathology (SLP) placement within a Malaysian community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centre for children with communication disabilities. Data collection involved the learning experiences of key adult stakeholders (students, workers, parents, and the principal research investigator (PI) or lead author).

 

Results: Study findings indicated that all adult learners became better empowered by working together. Workers involved in impairment-focussed rehabilitation activities grew in understanding and skills when supported by relevant professionals.The importance of mentoring as a learning-teaching relationship was demonstrated.

 

Conclusion: While the study has indicated that the setting is beneficial as a student placement, the development of a specialisation in CBR for allied health professionals would be a relevant way forward in the Malaysian context.

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