Teachers' views on inclusive education for secondary school visually impaired learners: An example from Lesotho

Abstract

In this article I consider the views of teachers and their experiences relating to their teaching of heterogeneous learners (including some who are visually impaired) in a secondary mainstream school in Lesotho. Data was collected using focus group discussions. Two groups were formed, one consisting of four regular/mainstream teachers and the other of four support teachers. Data was analysed thematically, and the results showed that, generally, teachers preferred mainstream schooling for children with visual impairment, although resource challenges prompted them to think about special schools as alternatives in extremely under-resourced schools. The Basotho culture of communalism seemed to have played a big role in teachers' obligations to take care of all children without discrimination. Furthermore, the educational success of learners with visual impairment appeared to be a motivation for the teachers. However, they reported some challenges such as the shortage of equipment and support staff, an examination-orientated curriculum, and a hostile infrastructure. It is recommended that these be addressed by the concerned parties in order to improve inclusive education for the benefit of teachers and learners (with and without visual impairment) in the school concerned.

Challenges School Management Experience with Inclusion of Learners with Visual Impairments: A Case of a Secondary School in Namibia

“…The literature showed similar results to the responses from members of the management supported by the observation, which revealed that the physical environment of the school is not friendly to learners with visual impairments (Morelle & Tabane, 2019; Ralejoe, 2021Ralejoe, , 2019. The participants have cited problems such as the high corridors or "stoep", with no protective metals or bars on the sides, the steep stairs and the steps, stagnant sewerage water ablution facilities, and the rough-bricks buildings (see Figure 1).…”

“…Haihambo Ya-Otto et al (2009) found that students with disabilities were hindered from maximum participation in educational programmes by limiting infrastructures. Also, Ralejoe (2019) and Haihambo (2010) agree that infrastructural barriers are a main opponent of students with disabilities. In the same vein, findings of these studies are in line with those of the Ministry of Education ( 2008) that stresses that most of the schools' physical facilities are not accessible to persons with disabilities.…”

“…This could be attributed to the lack of resources and the lack of social inclusion in the library environment. For instance, a dictionary is a learning support tool; but if it is not available in Braille for blind learners (see Dakwa, 2014;Ralejoe, 2019), they will struggle to find the meanings of words or definitions. However, the school at the time of the study only had two partially sighted learners and there was no immediate need to have brailed instructional materials.…”

Determinants of Mexican Lower Secondary School Students’ Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education

“…Thus, with increasing student diversity, policy makers worldwide are calling for a shift "from focusing on the inclusion of students with special educational needs, to the inclusion, participation and development of all learners" (Schwab & Alnahdi, 2020, p. 1). In order to develop an inclusive classroom environment, teachers are urged to implement appropriate instructional responses by meaningfully adapting their instruction to address the increasingly diverse students in their classrooms (Ralejoe, 2019;UNESCO, 2017UNESCO, , 2020. However, the success of inclusive education does not solely depend on teachers, principals, teacher trainers, parents, and/or structural factors (e.g., resources), but also on the students themselves (Goldan & Schwab, 2020).…”

Handling Learners with Special Educational Needs: The Lived Experiences of ESL Reading Teachers

“…Inclusive education is a concept which generally means the act of accepting the learners with special educational needs and promoting their inclusion in the classrooms by the mainstream teachers. It is the willingness to address and adapt to the unique needs of the learners through an increasing engagement in school and community activities, thereby raising the standard of the "education for all" goal of the Department of Education [7]. Global efforts to establish inclusive education have risen during the past twenty years.…”