Transcript PROMOTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR DEAF CHILDREN IN

PROMOTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
FOR DEAF
CHILDREN
IN
JOSEPH KANG’ETHE PRIMARY SCHOOL.
By Farida Asindua
Disability project manager
HI Nairobi, Kenya
• Founded in 1982, Handicap International is
specialized in acting on behalf of disabled
people and particularly vulnerable groups.
Although programmes were traditionally directed
towards the rehabilitation of the physically and
mentally disabled persons, they now incorporate
the social, economic, physical, and
psychological rehabilitation of vulnerable groups
irrespective of their cause and nature. These
programmes aim at assisting people whose
vulnerability has been brought about by disease,
deficiencies, accidents and violence as well as
any physical, sensorial, mental or psychological
alterations.
Background of the project area
• Kibera is one of the largest slums in
Nairobi with a population of over
700,000.The slum is generally
characterized by squalid living conditions,
poor sanitation, lack of affordable medical
care and congested households with the
low-income earners being the majority in
the area. According to the World Bank
report 2000, in every six absolutely poor
Kenyans, one is a person with disability.
Project Background
• In 2003, the Kenyan MOEST introduced free
Primary education. As a result, many more
children receive education, a fact clearly
demonstrated by the dramatic increase in
school enrolment figures. Education for all is
high on the agenda for Kenya in an attempt to
achieve the second millennium goal of
Universal Primary Education and in an overall
drive to alleviate poverty.
• Even though the Kenyan government has
declared free primary education, the deaf
children do not get the opportunity to attend
because of lack of specialised teachers
proficient in sign language Kibera and its
environ does not have an integrated unit for the
deaf, unlike other disabilities that have units in
the government schools.
Rational for the project
• Through HI partnership with NFSS
working in Kibera slums with children with
disabilities, it became apparent that there
was need to effectively address the
educational needs for children with
disabilities.
• Due to lack of personnel and expertise, NFSS
kept together the deaf children with the
mentally challenged, a situation that ends up
delaying development of deaf children in
terms of activities of daily living, interaction
and social norms of the community.
• Therefore the main aim of this project is to
enhance community integration of the deaf
by empowering deaf children and their
families to discuss issues affecting them and
advocating for their rights as equal
community members and more important to
promote the inclusive education for children
with disabilities in the regular schools
Project Goal
• To contribute towards universal primary
education through access to inclusive
primary education for children with
disabilities
• Awareness and sensitization of the school
environment on deafness
• Engage the deaf children in sporting
activity
• Training of parents, family members,
teachers and guardians on Kenyan sign
language
• Exchange visits for the children to other
institutions for the deaf
• Training of the teachers and support staff in
the Kenyan sign language
• Sensitizing and training of the school
committee in inclusive education and issues
pertaining to disability.
• Training of the teachers in mainstreaming the
Deaf children in the regular school learning
activities
• Exposure visits for teachers in the unit to
other projects that are carrying out education
for children with disabilities
• Conduct a medical camp to treat ear
infections and identify more persons with
deafness
• Conduct community awareness sessions
• Home visits to follow up on the progress of
children in school and general observation
within the home environment
• Reinforce the parents group to advocate for
the rights of PWDs and equal opportunity in
the community
• Joseph Kange’the was established in 1950
and is the only school in the area catering for
Deaf children in the slum area. The school
is also one of the schools with the highest
enrolment of children due to the free
primary education. The teachers in the
school are qualified and seconded by the
Ministry of Education. There is a school
committee comprising of parents
representing the various classes.
• A deaf unit was established and the school
had a total 1,150 children and 20 teachers.
Each class in the school has 2 streams
from pre unit to class eight. Even with the
doubling of the enrolment, the physical
structures remained the same.
Students taking extra lessons
• The teachers are utilizing the government
approved curriculum to teach the Deaf children.
• Using a speech kit from KISE, the teachers are
reinforcing voicing of the words as they are
teaching the children.
• Official Kenyan sign language is taught to the
children using the KIE syllabus.
• Using the teacher aid, learning among the
individual children is also reinforced through one
to one sessions with the children.
• The deaf unit received a boost from UNICEF
through KSDC and the provincial education
office of 50 hearing aids and one screening
audiometer. To facilitate the use of the hearing
aids, the children were taken for diagnostic
audiometric testing this was done in
collaboration with the EARC officer and an ENT
doctor from Kenyatta National Hospital. Six
children were fitted with hearing aids to enhance
their hearing.
• Sporting activities like athletics, football, netball
and other simple physical activities are
encouraged to improve the social interaction
amongst the children. This gave an opportunity
to ten Deaf children who
• participated in the Provincial Deaf sporting
event.
• This saw 6 children qualify for nationals which
were held in Kisumu. Two of the children
received trophies taking first and second
position in tennoquite.
• Feedback from the Deaf children in the
regular classes revealed that they enjoyed
their lessons so far in the mainstream
classes and therefore sharing out with
friends during free time.
• The other hearing children in the class are
also very friendly and cooperative the
Deaf children. Peers of the Deaf children
can now communicate in sign language.
Interaction session
Conclusion
• The Deaf unit has been well accepted and
continues to get support from the parents,
teachers, the school management
committee, city education and even TSC.
Therefore assuring sustainability.
• Due to the increasing number of children
every year, there is need to have future
perspectives for the children to acquire
quality education, and also pursue higher
education.
Thank you