Exploring Setbacks Of Developing Individualised Education Program For Learners With Physical Disabilities And Hearing Impairments In Kiambu County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The study explored setbacks hindering development and use of IEP in two categories of

special schools Joy town school for learners with physical handicaps and Kambui special

school for learners with hearing impairments in Kiambu county. Descriptive survey

design was used and purposive sampling technique to sample schools and sample size.

Data was gathered according to the objectives of the study and subjected to descriptive

measures and presented inform of percentages, frequency tables, bar graph and pie chart.

The finding indicated that majority of the teachers from both special schools were trained

ranging from diploma to masters in special needs educations, but they were inadequate.

Majority of the teachers more than half from both schools felt that disabilities of the

learners had effect on learning. More than half of the teachers from both schools

indicated that the learning environment was not adequately adapted. Facilities and

equipment were adequate but old. Head teachers’ support was inadequate according to

three quarters of the teachers from both schools. Although both head teachers indicated

that the schools involved parents in learning activities of their children, more than half of

the teachers refuted involving parents. They indicated that parents were uneducated,

ignorant, and poor that is why they were not involving them. Teachers who involved

parents as they rated their support as inadequate supported this. The study also revealed

that provision of related services were inadequate in both special schools as indicated by

both head teachers and more than half of the teachers from the two special schools. The

results revealed that teachers in both special schools were not developing IEP hence

learners individual learning needs were unmet. Hence, the researcher recommended that

head teachers and teachers be inspected frequently, in serviced regularly and increased to

reduce teacher- pupil ratio. Parents sensitised on importance of participating in their children education.