THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

KASAMA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

TITLE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE EDUCATIONAL FIELD WHICH CUTTERS FOR THE
EDUCATION OF LEARNERS WITH LEARNERS DISABILITIES .

NAME: SICHILYA CHARLES

CLASS: IS 3A

STUDY AREA: SPECIAL EDUCATION

EXAM NUMBER: 1KCSTD545

LECTURER: MR KAUZI. O

YEAR OF STUDY: 2020

DUE DATE: 27TH JULY, 2020.

 TABLE OF CONTENT

1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………i

1.1 Back ground…………………………………………………………………………...i

2.0 Objectives of the study………………………………………………………………………...1

2.1 Diversity and inclusive in education…………………………………………………..5

2.2 Parental attitudes towards Inclusive Education in secondary schools………………...7

2.3 The role of accessible technologies in Inclusive Education…………………………..9

2.4 Whether full inclusion of learners is possible in mainstream in or not in Zambia…..10

2.5 Essential considerations to be taken into account for designing a curriculum that is

inclusive……………………………………………………………………………..10

3.0 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………11-12

4.0 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………12
1.0 Introduction

The education system has been struggling with the concept of special education since time
unreckoned. This mainly is due to the inability of the government to fund the education system
chiefly so as to meet all the educational needs of learners with special educational needs. Thus,
with a view that the learners who do not attend schools regularly due to their disabilities, or the
schools which in all cases are only made for the learners with special education are supposed to
be rehabilitated so as to meet the educational needs of all kinds of learners. This gave birth to the
concept of inclusion. Inclusion in education should be understood to mean a model wherein
students with special needs spend most or all of their time with non-special (general education)
needs students. It arises in the context of special education with an individualized education
program or 504 plans, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special
needs to have said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading
to further success in life. Inclusion rejects but still provides the use of special schools or
classrooms to separate students with disabilities from students without disabilities. Schools with
inclusive classrooms do not believe in separate classrooms.

Like inclusive education, diversity is also one of the cardinal aspects of education that must be
discussed. In simple terms, diversity means recognizing that all the people are unique in their
own way. Their differences could consist of their reading level, athletic ability, cultural
background, personality, religious beliefs, and the list goes on. There has always been diversity
in the classroom, but in today society it is important to embrace it and make positive use of it.
Teachers should value diversity and they need to model this attitude to their students.
1.1 Background

The education of children with special educational needs was developed to provide an
opportunity for people with impairments to be trained and instructed upon intellectual, moral,
social and economic issues that will help them become independent and successful. The
education of these exceptional children was decreed not until 1971 by the first Zambian president
and this marks the history of special education conducted by Zambia.

Additionally, more than a century ago, most students with a disability are uneducated or not
given proper access. Following the tradition of segregation from the middle up until the late 19th
century, special schools were created for children with disabilities, effectively excluding them
from normal school institutions. This continued for a while up until the 1920s, when educators
first began seeing the value of providing proper care and education for those with disabilities.

The first significant change then came in the form of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, followed by
its amendments of 1986 and 1992, where institutions that guarantee the employment and
education rights of disabled people were given proper funding. This was then followed by the
passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), where every school district is
required to provide free and appropriate education for all children. Its further reauthorization in
1997 also did wonders, as it further protected and guaranteed the rights of a disabled person to a
quality education.

Following this move, the educational setups, more especially the Zambian one has been working
excessively hard trying to implement, amend laws and change the rigid systems of education to
that one which is flexible hence allowing the learners to learn in spite of their morphological
conditions. Because of this knowledge, the author of this thesis was prompted to research so us
to view the concept of special education in broader terms.

2.0 Objectives of the study

2.1 Diversity and inclusive in education

2.2 Parental attitudes towards Inclusive Education in secondary schools.

2.3 The role of accessible technologies in Inclusive Education.

2.4 Whether full inclusion of learners is possible in mainstream in or not in Zambia.

2.5 Essential considerations to be taken into account for designing a curriculum that is
inclusive.

2.1 Diversity and inclusive in education

Diversity in education means recognizing that all the people are unique in their own way. Their
differences could consist of their reading level, athletic ability, cultural background, personality,
religious beliefs, and the list goes on. There has always been diversity in the classroom, but in
today society it is important to embrace it and make positive use of it. Teachers should value
diversity and they need to model this attitude to their students (Baker, et al, 1998).

Brenner and Mary (1998) believes that diversity goes beyond color and ethnic backgrounds,
also including customs, cultural and religious experiences, political views, sexual orientation,
and more. The author further states that diversity in an education setting includes social
economic status (SES); ethnicity; religion; gender; sexual orientation; ethnicity; cultures; and
abilities, exceptionalities, and language (Brenner and Mary, 1998).

Teachers are expected to provide students with an environment that is conducive to learning. If a
student feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or not respected, then their chances of success in that class
dramatically decrease. To shed more light on this point, Brenner and Mary (1998) point out that
as our society become more diverse, it is important that students learn to value and use diversity
to the greater good. Teachers already have a number of roles in the classroom; yet, valuing
diversity is one of the most important ones a teacher must fill.

Besides, students may perceive that they do not “belong” in the classroom setting a feeling that
can lead to decreased participation, feelings of inadequacy, and other distractions. Teachers may
make flawed assumptions of students’ capabilities or assume a uniform standard of student
performance. Teachers may themselves feel out of place based on their own inscriptive traits
(Brenner and Mary, 1998).
Moreover, inclusive education is generally considered to be a multi-dimensional concept that
includes the celebration and valuing of difference and diversity, consideration of human rights,
social justice and equity issues, as well as of a social model of disability and a socio-political
model of education. Inclusive education also encompasses the process of school transformation
and a focus on children’s entitlement and access to education.

Besides, Salend (2011) expounds that there are four key principles through which the philosophy
of inclusion is put into practice. These are, firstly, providing all learners with challenging,
engaging and flexible general education curricula; secondly, embracing diversity and
responsiveness to individual strengths and challenges; thirdly, using reflective practices and
differentiated instruction; and fourthly, establishing a community based on collaboration among
students, teachers, families, other professionals and community agencies. Inclusive education,
therefore, aims to provide a facilitative and constructive focus for improving the education of
children with SEND (Salend, 2011).

Besides, the term ‘inclusion’ is used in various ways, for example, to refer to inclusive schools
or an inclusive society. It can also be said that inclusive education means increasing the
proportion of children with SEND in mainstream schools, while maintaining special schools for
those who need them. It involves educating children with SEND in the most inclusive settings in
which their special educational needs can be met effectively, using the most effective
instructional strategies, with the overarching goal of facilitating the highest level of inclusion in
society post-school for all young people with SEND

The definition of inclusive special education also encompasses a process of ongoing whole-
school organization and development in order to assist mainstream schools to effectively educate
as many children with SEND as possible. This includes ensuring that special school, resource
room and special class teachers assist mainstream schools in implementing effective education
for children with SEND, while at the same time effectively providing for those children with
higher levels of SEND who need to be educated in these special education settings (Salend,
2011).
Besides, inclusive special education regards the identification of SEND, and the setting up of
procedures such as IEPs and transition plans, as essential components of providing effective
education for children with SEND in order to facilitate their inclusion in their communities’ post-
school. Therefore, these are key features of inclusive special education.

Inclusive special education also acknowledges that many children with more severe SEND are
more comfortable with peers who have similar interests, difficulties, abilities and disabilities to
themselves, so this must be taken into account when considering educational placements. In this
way a sense of belonging and being included in a learning community is emphasized, whether
children with SEND are educated in special classes, resource rooms, special schools or
mainstream classrooms.

It is believed at least by Glazer (1998) that inclusive special education acknowledges the role of
physiological, psychological, environmental and social factors in the etiology of SEND. A
psycho-social model involving an ecological view of the etiology of SEND and of the
interventions needed to address these is an essential component of inclusive special education
(Glazer, 1998).

2.2 parental attitudes towards Inclusive Education in secondary schools

According to Colburn (2000), a successful implementation of inclusion, positive attitudes seem

to be a key-issue. On this point, Allport (1935) attitudes can be understood as ‘a mental and
neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence
upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related’.

In the implementation process, various groups of players are involved: students, professionals
(class teachers, special needs teachers, psychologists), school-management, external support
groups (like social and youth welfare, leisure facilities) and of course parents who have – in
many countries – the right to choose a school for their child. However, there are differences
between these groups concerning the concrete implementation and the current situation (Colburn
2000).
Fleith and Sonza (2000) have also noticed that the attitudes of parents in general have a positive
or at least a neutral attitude towards inclusive education. This result is in line with that of the
other groups, especially the teachers. Furthermore, parents who have children with SEN show
ambivalent attitudes, emphasizing not only benefits but also risks for their children.
Nevertheless, parents agree that there are benefits for all children by inclusive education.

Furthermore, parents’ attitudes differ dependent on the type of disability: whereas an inclusion of
children with physical and sensory disabilities is highly supported, the inclusion of children with
behavioral problems and severe cognitive disabilities is considered more skeptical. Parents of
children with disabilities have positive attitudes toward inclusion and support the concept of
mainstreaming. An examination of the responses to the items expressing benefits showed that
65% of the parents recognize that inclusion will prepare their children’s adjustment in the real
world, giving them a chance to participate (63.9%) and interact with other classmates.

Besides, positive social outcomes were also recognized for children without disabilities who are
likely to learn and become more sensitive to peoples’ differences (82.2%). Interestingly enough,
children’s attitudes were not a major concern for parents. 42.4% of parents did not seem to
consider that inclusion is likely to harm the sentimental development of their children, as 52.5%
of them expressed the belief that inclusion is more likely to make their children feel better about
themselves.

Furthermore, Goodlad (1983) believes that parents were uncertain or expressed a concern about
whether inclusion would lead to their child’s social isolation by other children in a typical class.
Children’s social acceptance along with quality of instruction and availability of support services
seem to puzzle parents’ views and create a feeling of uncertainty.

The author further expounds that conventional classes are able (23.5%) or not able (43%) to help
children with disabilities, give a first but not yet clear picture of parents’ views, as approximately
30% of parents remained undecided about teacher ability and possible loss of support services in
typical settings

Accordingly, parents of children with disabilities are not yet certain about the positive or
negative outcomes of inclusion practices, although benefits of inclusion for students according to
parents’ perceptions are positively related to children’s rights from a philosophical and legal
standpoint. Indeed, parents strongly support their children’s chance to participate in conventional
classes (68%) and to have the same advantages and rights (83.2%) as children without
disabilities, especially parents of boys who express a greater support toward children’s rights
compared to parents of girls.

Additionally, the parents of this study do not express a major concern about whether inclusion
would hurt their child emotionally. However, they are concerned whether their children would be
socially accepted by other peers without disabilities. Besides, quality of instruction and
availability of support services create a feeling of uncertainty to parents of children with
disabilities about the positive or negative outcomes of inclusion practices. Nevertheless, parents
strongly support their children’s chance to participate in typical classes, an attitude that to some
degree is attributed to their frustration regarding the provision of special policies in Zambia.

2.3 The role of accessible technologies in Inclusive Education

Greenwood and Anita (1996) have defined Accessible technology as the technology that can be
used by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. It incorporates the principles of
universal design, and it includes “computer hardware and software, operating systems, web-
based information and applications, telephones and other telecommunications products, video
equipment and multimedia products, information kiosks, and office products such as
photocopiers and fax machines (Greenwood and Anita, 1996).

Besides, ICT application is very important as it plays an essential role in providing high quality
education for students with disabilities. ICTs have been introduced into the teaching-learning
process in order to improve quality, support curricular changes and new learning experiences. In
this way it is possible to meet the specific learning needs of different learner groups, including
students with disabilities. Though specific applications of ICTs are extremely diverse and varied,
they may be grouped into the following main categories, Compensation uses, Didactic uses and
Communication uses (Greenwood and Anita, 1996).

Additionally, accessible technology allows students with special needs to take active part in the
process of interaction and communication: if a person has motor disability he may be helped to
write, or to read if a person is with a visual deficiency (among many other possible examples).
From this point of view ICTs develop the students’ ability to control their environment, make
choices about their experiences, support problem-solving, give access to information, thereby
enhance communication with others both in the immediate environment and around the world. In
other words, technology can recoup or substitute the lack of natural functions (Greenwood and
Anita, 1996).

Moreover, Hart and Diane (1999) have postulated that accessible technology brings a variety of
new teaching and assessment strategies for students with different educational needs. On this
point, the authors state, “Here we must note that information technologies as a didactical tool are
suitable for implementing the inclusive education. In order to enhance personal development,
educational initiatives within the inclusive curriculum must aim at meeting unique needs,
differences, and abilities of an individual; hence they must be fully supported to achieve these
goals at an appropriate pace (Hart and Diane, 1999).

Furthermore, technologies can mediate communication with people having disabilities (often
referred to as Alternative and Augmentative Communication). Assistive devices and software to
meet the needs of students with definite communication difficulties are specific to every
disability. We talk about the computer as a resource that eases and makes the communication
possible, allowing a person with communicative disorders to exhibit his/her abilities in a more
convenient way, or people with motor and communicative disorders to start communication,
show the needs and make the demands (Hart and Diane, 1999).

In education, the technology supporting and helping students with disabilities increasingly
implies computer-related applications. Information and communication technologies have
expanded the AT field to new dimensions, opening new doors, broadening horizons and enabling
autonomy for many individuals with special needs. Over the last few years, the computer has
turned into a valuable resource for teaching students with an ample range of learning difficulties.
Rapidly grown processing power has let manufacturers provide sophisticated hardware and
software to get the access and meet the learning needs (Hart and Diane, 1999).

2.4Whether full inclusion of learners is possible in mainstream in or not in Zambia

The dream of inclusion of learners with special education needs at the present condition of the
country is impossible. This means that in Zambia, UNESCO and others in the international
community have acclaimed Zambia’s efforts to reach out to the handicapped and impaired
children. Scarcity of resources and inadequate funding to the MOE to meet national education
and training needs. From 1975 to 1985, the proportion of the GDP devoted to education was
5.5% but thereafter fell sharply to 2.0% in 1993 Zambia has had an articulated policy on SNE
since 1977.

In spite of the government’s undying efforts over the years to curb the problem of exclusion
among children with special educational needs, this problem has persistently been on the
increase. Children with learning difficulties have not been adequately provided with the basic
resources, physical facilities and equipment to cater for their special needs like their counterparts
in regular schools. They continue to suffer disproportionately from whatever acute/chronic
problems affecting Zambia’s education system.

They are socially excluded from the mainstream settings by the nature of their learning
disability. Most are taught in special schools for children with moderate and severe learning
difficulties (Mittler, 2000). Collaboration and teamwork are also essential aspects of inclusive
practice, according to recent research (Lindsay, 2007).

In addition, Lindsay (2007) believes that the road to achieving inclusive education is a long and
varied one, on which challenges and opportunities will arise. No government can realistically
expect to switch overnight from special or integrated approaches to education to inclusive
education. Twin track‟ approaches may be adopted, meaning that special or integrated initiatives
and inclusive schools sit side-by-side as governments work towards the proper inclusion of all
children within mainstream education systems over time.

Superlatively these twin approaches will inform one another, with learning gained from each
informing the development of future strategies, rather than being parallel processes without links
between them. Special schools can act as useful resource centers for inclusive schools by
providing equipment and helping to develop teachers‟ technical skills (Myer & Bagree).
Above and beyond, Croft (2010) postulates that there are particular challenges about negative
attitudes and behavior, on the part of both educators and parents, in relation to the skills of
disabled children to learn. These challenges can be conquered by raising consciousness of human
rights in communities and publicizing optimistic examples of disabled children succeeding in
inclusive education and in life beyond school as a result. Other possible methods include
supporting disabled children to express their aspirations and participate in planning processes, as
well as promoting action research and critical pedagogy amongst teachers (Croft, 2010).

Another major challenge to inclusive education in the Republic of Zambia is lack of funding.
UNESCO (2009) stated that funding is a major constraint to the practice of inclusion. Teaching
children with disabilities in general education classrooms takes specialists and additional
classrooms to support student needs. Coordinating services and offering individual supports to
children requires additional money that many schools do not have, particularly in a tight
economy (UNESCO, 2009).

This follows means that inadequate funding can hinder ongoing professional development that
helps keep specialists and classroom teachers updated on the best practices. However, a major
constraint is serious shortage of educational resources; lack of schools, inadequate facilities, and
lack of teachers and shortage of professionally trained qualified staff, lack of modern learning/
instructional materials (Cortiella 2009).

In addition, Ainscow & Booth (2005) have stressed that policy makers who do not understand
the concept of inclusive education can be barrier to implementation of this wonderful aspect of
educationLack of powerful policy to support the implementation of inclusive education
programmer in Zambia is another problem facing this aspect of education. The policy makers
most a times play non-chalet attitudes to promote inclusive education (Ainscow & Booth, 2005).

2.5 Essential considerations to be taken into account for designing a curriculum that is
inclusive

On building a curriculum that will support special education, Greenwood and Anita (1996) have
postulated that when building a curriculum that will provide or cutter for the inclusion education,
the pedagogy, the teaching methods and learning must be set in a way that it will be able to cutter
for the learners with learning disabilities. In this context, it must to be understood that the
curriculum that must set in a period longer that the actual period of learning so that the learners,
both those who have mental disabilities and those other disabilities be cluttered for.

One of the things that have to be considered when setting up an inclusive education is the
pedagogy. On this point, Greenwood and Anita (1996) believes that a pedagogy is the approach
to teaching, refers to the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is
influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners.

Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is the study of how knowledge and skills are
imparted in an educational context, and it considers the interactions that take place during
learning. Thus when preparing an inclusive curriculum, all forms of educational staff must be set
in such a way that it be able to support the learning of challenged learners.

According to Hart and Diane (1999), when stating the teaching aids that can be used to teach a
particular subject, the curriculum must include the teaching aids that will help learners with
disabilities. For example, the inclusion of using of Braille for visual impaired learners can be as
well being of good help.

Moreover, The learners have varying understandings, thus the curriculum must also include the
teaching methods that will support the learning of each and every learner despite the degree of
their disabilities. The teaching materials such as considering that people who are deaf or hard of
hearing often use vision as a primary means of receiving information. Captioned videos,
overheads, diagrams, and other visual aids are useful instructional tools for students with hearing
impairments (Hart and Diane 1999).

2.5 Progress Zambia has made in the implementation of Inclusive Education

In Zambia, it can be said that something has been done to improve the implementation on
inclusive education. Although it not enough, but progress can be seen compared to cretaceous
periods in the history of special education, schools are built, special units and many teachers
have been training to answer the call and the demand for the provision of the special educational
needs of the children or learners with special educational needs.
For the sake of following the tracks on how special education have progressed it is imperative to
look carefully at the past records of special education. The first school for students with visual
impairments opened in 1955 (Katwishi, 1995). After the Ministry of General Education began
administering special education in Zambia in 1977, a number of special schools and institutions
were built. Additionally, in response to the international shift toward inclusive education, a
number of special units and special classrooms were established within general education
schools. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of children with disabilities were placed in
general education settings (Kasonde-Ng’andu & Moberg, 2001).

Moreover, Inclusive education in Zambia is just developing. The Ministry of Education is

engaged in a constant revision of all legislation relating to persons with disabilities to align them
in conformity with relevant international conventions in order to facilitate efficient and effective
service delivery (Mung'omba 2008). Sharma, Moore, and Sonawane (2009) found that
historically, many educational systems adopt an integrated model as a starting point to inclusive
education.

In most cases, students with severe disabilities are left out or may be enrolled into special needs
schools. Following the 1977 educational policy, the Ministry of Education built several special
schools and institutions. However, in response to international pressure toward inclusion, a
number of special units and special classrooms within mainstream education schools were
opened (Kasonde-Ng'andu and Moberg 2001).

Another improvement is seen through the government effort to train more teachers who will be
able to teach special education in many schools. This on one way or another will improve the
development of special education and therefore allow many or all the learners with special
education to access the schools at an early stage (Mung'omba 2008).

3.0 Conclusion

This essay have for have discussed concepts such as diversity and inclusion in education,
Rationale behind inclusion in education, parental attitudes towards Inclusive Education in
secondary schools, the role of accessible technologies in Inclusive Education, whether full
inclusion of learners with special educational needs is practically possible in a mainstream
classroom or not in Zambia, essential considerations to be taken into account for designing a
curriculum that is inclusive and the progress Zambia has made in implementing inclusive
education. As it the case of this study, every learner must be given a platform to learn and thus
contribute positively to the societal needs of the country Zambia. The author stresses that no
learner should be left behind, all the learners must be given that platform, in spite of their
disabilities. That is inclusion and diversity in a broader sense.

3.1 Recommendations

The author of this article recommends that Teachers in inclusive classrooms are recommended to
incorporate a variety of teaching methods in order to best reach students of varying learning
abilities. This has benefits even for those students who would be placed in a traditional
classroom, as this increases their engagement in the learning process.

Moreover, teachers who are not trained or who are unwilling or unenthusiastic about working
with differently-abled students are a drawback to successful inclusion. Training often falls short
of real effectiveness, and instructors already straining under large workloads may resent the
added duties of coming up with different approaches for the same lessons, thus more teachers of
special education be trained and all schools be rehabilitated to meet the needs of inclusion.

Besides, all the teachers and parents must take a keen interest in the education of the learners
more especially those with learning disabilities. They must understand that having a disability is
not the end of one life. I recommend therefore, the teachers and the parents to be more
compassionate, and feel for the learners with disabilities and do everything in their power to fight
the prejudice on the learners with learning disabilities.
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