Aspects that Debilitate the Quality of Braille among Learners with Visual Impairment in Kgatleng District in Botswana
Keywords:
Visual Impairment, Quality of Braille, Aspects, BotswanaAbstract
This qualitative study investigated the aspects that debilitate
the quality of braille among learners with visual impairment at an
institution in Kgatleng District in Botswana. The study was conducted
over a two-month period at a school that caters for learners with total
blindness. The participants, who included five special education trained
teachers and nine learners with visual impairment, were purposively
selected. The study utilised interviews and document analysis to collect
data. Thematic and content data analyses were done as data from the
two data collection methods was integrated. The results of the study
indicate that the special education specialist teachers are underutilised
in their area of specialty. In addition, the larger school community views
it a waste of human resource for specialist special education teachers to
instruct learners in braille. Consequently, there is no deliberate program
to teach braille to learners with visual impairment especially that both
learners and special education teachers have very tight schedules
emanating from a packed curriculum and high teaching loads. The onset
of the visual impairment also has a significant influence on the rate of
learning braille and the development of the sense of touch. The study
recommends, among others, a paradigm shift in the inclusive education
practices at the school to improve the quality of braille and academic
performance of learners with visual impairment.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.6.9
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