THE EFFICACY OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN THE EDUCATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ZIMBABWE.
Introduction and background
The postal system was the best technology that was used by the pioneers of distance education in the mid 19th century, (www.cdlonline.org/index,cfm?). Distance education opened educational opportunities to people who wanted to learn but were not able to attend conventional school. People who most benefited from such correspondence included those with physical disabilities. In this vein, Moore and Tait (2002) remarked that ODL is one of the most rapidly growing fields of education and its potential impact has been greatly accentuated through the development of ICT-based technologies. Thus numerous open universities have emerged to absorb numbers of new learners. Olusola (2011) concluded therefore that with electronic tools, people can learn virtually anytime and at any place they chose without obstacles in place, time and status. This entails that open and distance learning.
Zimbabwe like many other African countries has experienced civil war which left many citizens with various disabilities. Some lost their limbs, some lost their sight, hearing, speech and mobility. Many such people were forced out of school due to disability. They could not continue with their education. To date many of these victims cannot pursue their educational endeavors due to lack of proper support and facilities such as wheelchairs, walking frames, magnifiers, hearing aids, computers and other assistive materials to make access to education easy. It has however noted that people with hearing impairment and visual impairments were catered for to some extent through various educational institutions such as Kapota School for th...
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...indura 32 15 1+/-10 teachers Salvation Army 21 14 1 +-10 teachers Bindura school 16 14 1 +/-7
118 73
Key informants
Institution Total sampled Actual respondents Number of hours /respondent
School Heads 4 3 1hr 30min
Community health officer 1 0 1hr 10min
ODL special education practitioner 3 1 1hrs 40min
Total 8 4 4hrs 20min
Results and discussion
The purpose of the study was to discuss the efficacy of open and distance learning in the learning of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe. It also seeks to justify one and distance learning as an intervention strategy to remove environmental, social and educational barrier for people with disabilities. The following are the views on questions that were responded to by pupils and teachers from Bindura, Chipindura, Chipadze and Salvation Army primary schools.
Questions to teachers
It is essential that all students have access to a quality education and an inclusive education system should meet their diverse needs. The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD] (2014) stipulates that education providers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support students with disabilities to comply with the standard. Graduate teachers should also demonstrate an understanding of legislative requirements and be able to identify teaching strategies that support the involvement and learning of students with disabilities (AITSL, 2014). They should understand the importance of focusing on what a student with a disability can do and work with the student’s strengths. A graduate teacher should know what resources, agencies and assistive technologies are available to support the learning needs of a student with a disability.
Students with disabilities have several delivery models that are made available to them. These students that have been identified as having a disability are to be given an equal opportunity to be the recipients of a fair and public education just as their non-disabled classmates. It is a legal requirement that the students are placed in an LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). The needs of the students and the resources available to them play an important factor in the placement of those individuals who has been identified as disabled. The following information was derived through classroom
...uitable education irrespective of their condition. LRE has provided an opportunity in which the disabled students can learn in a non discriminatory environment together with the non disabled ones. This ensures they grow up in a normal healthy way.
In “Can You Be Educated from a Distance?” by James Barszcz, the author attempts to pinpoint the negative aspects of distance education compared to traditional classrooms. At the beginning of the article, he first describes the basic format of online courses, which results in a vast minimization of face-to-face communication of students with instructors. He then touches on some of the beneficial qualities of online education, and the reasoning for its quickly growing popularity among students and schools alike. He mainly attributes this trend to the overall convenience that is promised to students by online courses. These courses allow students to learn material in the comfort of their own home. Barszcz also considers the financial appeal for universities. Having an increasing number of students enrolled solely in online classes allows schools to save money on electricity, as well as decrease the amount of staff they employ. Also mentioned is that many strong advocates of distance...
...ons from the 1%: Children with Labels of Severe Disabilities and Their Peers as Architects of Inclusive Education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(5-6), 543-561.
The treatment of individuals with disabilities has changed dramatically since the 1800’s. Reynolds 1988, describes, Progressive inclusion, the evolution of services provided to those with various disabilities. In the early 1800’s residential institutions, or asylums were seem as common place accommodations for individuals with hearing, visual, mental or emotional impairments. Institutions remained the primary educational support until a century later in the early 1900’s. The parents of students with disabilities brought upon a legislation change. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, these parents pressured courts and legislatures to introduce a change in educational services. Reynolds (1988), discussed the birth of The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This act mandated that all children, regardless of disability, had the right to a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. As a result, resource and self-contained classrooms expanded in public schools. In 1991 the Individuals with Disabilities Act was inducted. As a result professionals in the field of special education are giving more consideration to placing students in the least restrictive environment.
The implementation of policy and legislation related to inclusive education, thus being a focus on the diversity and difference in our society (Ashman & Elkins, 2009), would have vast implications on the way society views that which is different to the accepted “norm”.
Students with disabilities have educational rights under a special law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which mandates that students with disabilities have a free and appropriate education (Curry School of Education, n/d). The law requires that special needs students should also be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE) suitable for their needs(Curry School of Education, n/d). The LRE for some students is often the g...
"to assure that all children with disabilities have available to them…a free appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and relat...
Argues that we must do more to ensure that computers are fully integrated into all our schools. Suggestion that there is no limit to the possibilities of computers; Topic of distance learning; Ways that the Internet can make schools more effective; Call for schools to develop innovative budgeting to acquire the funds for te...
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation. (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF
Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.
Some students within society need to have online learning to complete college degrees due to their lifestyles. While it is good to have online learning as an option if one chooses, it should not be the only option available to some students. Some may argue that online education is not creating discrimination within the educational environment. Furthermore, some may suggest that online learning is benefiting our students in society. There has been a breakthrough in time and geographical limitations of education via online courses (Ho, 2009).
To begin with, full inclusion in the education system for people with disabilities should be the first of many steps that are needed to correct the social injustices that people with disabilities currently face. Students with disabilities are far too frequently isolated and separated in the education system (Johnson). They are often provided a diluted, inferior education and denied meaningful opportunities to learn. There are many education rights for children with disabilities to p...
Over the last eight weeks this writer has learned a monument amount of knowledge in a short period of time. Each module and activity clearly defined each objective covered in the readings. Reflection plays a huge part in increasing one's self awareness, after having reflected on the course assignments writer is prepared to use the knowledge that they have attained. Having taken this course one feel comfortable utilizes the materials in the professional world successfully. Before taking this course many things about the laws and right guaranteed to students with disabilities were unclear. Knowledge is power and knowing has opened this writer up to understanding how a special educator a...