School Experiences for Teaching Children with Visual Impairment in an Integrated Classroom Setting: Case Study of Sebeta Secondary School
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Date
2021-08
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AAU
Abstract
The general objective of this study was to assess the Regular School preparedness for
Teaching Children with Visual Impairment in integrated classroom setting. The study was
conducted in Oromia regional state at Sebeta secondary school. The participants of the study
were58 students with visual impairment, 1 special needs educator, 1 school principal and 5
teachers. The study conducted using mixed research method, particularly sequential
explanatory design. Interviews, observations and questionnaires were employed as
instruments for data collection. The data collected through interview was qualitative and
analyzed by thematic analysis. The dominant themes captured and presented through
narratives. Data collected through questionnaires was both quantitative and qualitative
nature. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation
were used to analyze quantitative data. The showed that Sebeta secondary school is
practicing integrated school and this practice created the opportunities for students with
visual impairment to learn in an integrated classroom. However, the study found out that
there are challenges that affect the education of students with visual impairment in an
integrated school. Again, it was found out that educational challenges of students with visual
impairment include lack of knowledge about the needs of students with visual impairments,
computer application, optical aids, and braille writing materials, issues of mobility, funding,
library resources, negative attitude towards students with visual impairment and physical
infrastructural facilities. Finally, the researcher recommends that as long as the existing
challenges to students with visual impairment are multi-dimensional, their solutions and
interventions need comprehensive work of teachers, family and community efforts at Sebeta
secondary school.
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Keywords
integrated school, students with visual impairment, challenges, and opportunities.