CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education
and learning are pivotal of the existence of man, as humans we learn every day,
some of the learning experience fall under the formal learning condition or the
informal learning atmosphere, however learning among disabled people is a
different encounter from the normal learning setting because learning
environment for disable defiles the normal learning setting. Education is both
a human right in itself and an indispensable means of realizing other human
rights. It enables children and young people to develop a sense of their own
worth and respect for others. In doing so, it fosters their ability to
contribute to and participate fully in their communities. Education is the
primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized children and
young people can eventually lift themselves out of poverty, through developing
the skills and qualifications necessary for quality paid work. According to United Nations (2013:7) “More
than 500 million people in the world are disabled as a consequence of mental,
physical or sensory impairment. They are entitled to the same rights as all
other human beings and to equal opportunities. Too often their lives are
handicapped by physical and social barriers in society which hamper their full
participation. Because of this, millions of children and adults in all parts of
the world often face a life that is segregated and debased”.
An
analysis of the situation of disabled persons has to be carved out within the
context of different levels of economic and social development and different
cultures. Everywhere, however, the ultimate responsibility for remedying the
conditions that lead to impairment and for dealing with the consequences of
disability rests with Governments. This does not weaken the responsibility of
society in general, or of individuals, or of organizations Governments should
take the lead in awakening and educating the populations regarding the gains to
be derived by individuals and society from the inclusion of disabled persons in
every area of social, education, economic and political life. People who are
made dependent by severe disability have an opportunity to achieve a standard
of living equal to that of their fellow citizens if the learning environment is
conducive. Sharing of financial and material resources by all sections of the
population, not omitting the rural areas of developing countries could be of
major significance to disabled persons by resulting in expanded community
services and improved economic opportunities, however providing them with
education is also a life expectancy for them which must be achieved.
It
is observed in some quarters, that some people hold some element of bias
against the involvement of disable people research which is an intergral part of
learning and academics, Disability academics have also stressed
that, in the past, government social research on disability issues has failed
to focus on the issues of greatest relevance to disabled people. (Barnes,
2003). Failing to involve disabled people in research that concerns their
experiences or to communicate research results in an accessible way could mean
that research alienates disabled research participants. It could be
exploitative, if data is collected from disabled people, using pre-determined
research questions that do not address the key issues they face and is then
published in reports that disabled people cannot read or use. According to Macleod
and Martin (2011:51) Having a learning difficulty or disability can affect the
way someone learns, communicates or does other everyday things. Learning
disability is a more general term for impairments that can affect learning and
understanding. Some people may have more profound learning disabilities. This
can mean they have great difficulty communicating, need high levels of support
and may have additional sensory or physical impairments.
The
right to education is universal and must extend to all children, youth, and
adults with disabilities. This right is enshrined in the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (1989) and addressed in several significant,
internationally approved declarations, including the World Declaration for
Education for All (1990), the Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disability (1993), the UNESCO Salamanca
Statement and Framework for Action (1994), and the Dakar Framework for Action
(2000). According
to best estimates of international agencies, we know the following;
i.
98% children with disabilities in developing countries do NOT attend schools
ii.
500,000 children every year lose some part of their vision due to vitamin A
deficiency
iii.41
million babies are born each year at risk of mental impairment due to
insufficient iodine in their mothers' diets.
iv.For
every child killed in armed conflict, three are injured and permanently
disabled. 40% out of 26,000 persons killed and injured by landmines every year
are children. Over 10 million children are psychologically traumatised by armed
conflicts.
v.
Child labour and maltreatment such as corporal punishment, amputation, blinding
of detainees, are responsible for children becoming disabled, and can lead to
mental illness, physical and psychological disabilities, difficulties in
schools or at work, etc. (UNICEF, 2002)
Macleod
and Martin (2011: 6)
asserts that, “Disability
academics have therefore argued that if research is to fully reflect the
experiences of disabled people, then disabled people should be involved from
the outset in formulating research questions, developing methodology,
interpreting results and drawing conclusions”. New learning methods and
improved system of curriculum development should bear the disabled in mind for
efficient improvement in the organization of their learning activities.
Statement of the Problem
Owing
to lack of knowledge, educational access and technology, disabled children were
initially treated as unwanted and segregated from other children. Later their
education was carried out in special schools. In recent times there has been a
shift towards having people with disabilities attend the same schools as
non-disabled people. The educationists now feel that each person should be
allowed to learn in his own way. The concept of inclusive education has been
spelt out in the Salamanca statement and the framework for action on special
needs education 1994. It states that all governments have been urged to
"adopt as a matter of law or policy, the principle of inclusive education,
enrolling all children in regular schools unless there are compelling reasons
for doing otherwise". The basic premise is that the school should meet the
educational needs of all children irrespective of their disabilities or
limitations.
Therefore
the ways which learning can be improved among disabled people in Abuja
Municipal Council Area is the problem which this study seeks to investigate.
1.2 Objectives of the Study
The
broad objective of this study is to ascertain ways of improving learning among
disabled people in Abuja Municipal Council Area. However to achieve this, the
following objectives below will guide the study:-
i.
To examine the learning methods
used by disabled in Abuja Municipal Council Area.
ii.
To discover new ways which learning
amongst disabled people in Abuja Municipal Council Area can be improved
iii.
To identify the challenges
preventing the improvement of learning among disabled people in Abuja Municipal
Council Area.
1.3 Research Questions
i.
What are the learning methods used
by disabled in Abuja Municipal Council Area?
ii.
What new ways can be used to
improve learning amongst disabled people in Abuja Municipal Council Area?
iii.
What are the challenges preventing
disabled learning in Abuja Municipal Council Area?
1.4 Significance of Study
Findings
from this study will be significant to organizations and individuals in the
following ways:-
i.
To the disabled people in Abuja
Municipal Council Area, this study will highlight new ways of improving
learning for them.
ii.
To the educators of the disabled, this
study will lay bare some of the critical aspects involved in improving learning
amongst the disabled.
iii.
To curriculum developers, this study
will help in assisting them as a guide in developing curriculum that are more
flexible to accommodate the new learning ways identified by this study.
iv.
To researchers, and scholars; this study
will contribute to the numerous existing literature in the area of disabled
education.
1.5 Scope of the Study
The
scope of this study is broadly segmented into two categories; the geographical
scope of this study is limited to Abuja Municipal Council Area, where the
population of this study will be drawn. While the content scope revolves around
literature that are related to the discourse under review with related
theoretical framework to back it up.
1.6 Operational Definition of Terms
Impairment:
Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical
structure or function.
Disability:
Any
restriction or lack {resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an
activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
Handicap:
A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or
disability, that, limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal,
depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual.
REFERENCES
United Nation
(2013) World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons. http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=23
Barnes,
C. (1992) Qualitative Research: valuable or irrelevant, Disability,
Handicap and Society, 7 (2), 115-124.
Barnes,
C. (1996) Disability and the Myth of the Independent
Researcher,Disability and Society, 11
(2), 107-110.
Barnes,
C. (2001) ‘Emancipatory’ Disability Research: project or process? Public
Lecture at City
Chambers, Glasgow, on 24 October 2001 (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/Barnes/glasgow%20lecture.pdf
Martin,
F. and Fraser M. (2011) Involving disabled people in social research
Guidance by the
Office for Disability Issues. Retrieved from http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/res/research/involving-disabled-people-in-social-research.pdf
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