In Kenya, special education is generally looked at as the provision of education to students with disabilities, and in most cases the students served are those with such visible disabilities as physical disabilities, hearing impairment, visual impairment and mental disabilities. In addition there are, in most big towns, special schools called "approved schools" where students with behavior problems are educated. These schools are residential. They are children who, in some cases, have been so troublesome at home that the parents chose to take them there.
Most of the school and institutions that were set up for students with disabilities were begun by missionaries or religious organizations. The Salvation Army established the oldest school for the blind in Thika, and Catholic missionaries begun several schools for deaf children. Various volunteer organizations also support many of the schools by providing funds for building the schools and paying teachers. The government, later on, took over some of the schools, but due to lack of resources it has not been able to provide the special education services. A few private schools have also been providing these services to students. However they serve very few students because of the high costs parents have to pay to have their children educated there. Some of these schools include Fairmile School, Acorn School and St. Peters school. These schools still depend on gifts and donations. One of the private schools, Augustina Academy, operates more like private schools here in the USA, since both the director and his wife have advanced degrees from the USA and many years of teaching experience.
A notable factor with special schools in Kenya is that they are more common in towns, which means that students who live far from the towns may not be able to have access to them, except for boarding schools, which are also more expensive. Yet another reason why some children with disabilities do not attend these schools is that they may have multiple disabilities, which the schools are not able to handle. A survey of Kenyan teachers (Karugo, 1988) indicated that 83% of parents of children with disabilities hide these children from the public, and 71% of families still consider having a disabled child a curse. This means a majority of parents, especially those with little education, do not take those children to school since they are ashamed about their child with disabilities. Others do not feel that their children will benefit from the education, so they keep them at home. This often leads to a situation where when some of the children, especially those with mental disabilities, are older they receive some type of employment, but the pay goes back to the parent or guardian or they receive very little pay. Girls can work as househelps and the young men are employed on farms. Those who remain in residential schools make beads for jewelry and girls knit cardigans and table clothes that are later sold.
However, one of the positive things about the special education schools is that they begin offering vocational training to the students early since they feel that they are likely to get jobs there. There is still a need to prepare the students more for transition to employment after school. I find the transition plan included in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) of a student in a USA high school is very important as the child with special needs is able to get an education that will help meet the specific requirements of his/her future vocational job. (Wagner & Blackorby, 1996)
According to Wairindi (1999), the cases of children with disabilities in Kenya has continued to rise and doctors parents¼ ignorance and failure to seek prenatal and postnatal care. The major causes of disabilities are cerebral palsy, polio spinal disorders, and orthopedic problems. In addition, measles and polio are common causes of many hearing and physical disabilities respectively (Anderson, 2000). It would also be very beneficial if early special education services were provided, as the case here in the USA. These are programs that cater to young children with disabilities to identify the disability so the child starts receiving interventions early on (Peterson, 1987).
In Kenya, the general population is not well informed about people with disabilities, and often there is very little interaction with them in special schools. People with disabilities are often seen as weak, and as though they do not contribute effectively to the Kenyan society. People often see people with disabilities on the streets begging, and they tend to take pity on them. Anderson (2000) observed that societal attitudes toward those with disabilities suggest that this population continues to be unnoticed and unserved. I have observed that here in the USA the people with disabilities, especially the parents of children with disabilities, are the ones most involved in creating awareness of their situation and some of the challenges that they face. They form organizations and speak up for their rights; some also write books about their experiences in raising children with disabilities such as attention deficit disorder(ADD) and others that people do not know much about. They also write informative messages on the Internet. In this way people are better able to understand them and offer help where they can.
The Thika School for the Blind has a great band that is called upon on government holidays to play their instruments, and they do so well. At one time I was glad to see young girls and boys in the Machakos School for the Deaf practicing their dance steps so well so they could compete in the schools¼ cultural dancing competition. In some schools like Jacaranda School in Nairobi, where there is a large number of students with mental disabilities, the children slowly made very beautiful, colorful beads and other jewelry. Students with disabilities also participate in games and sports and some have participated in Special Olympics.
Since the children in these special schools do so well in a variety of activities it seems likely that when these children are integrated into regular schools in the future they will do better. They would make friends with regular students, which will help their self-esteem. However, just like the case here in USA, it has been established through a lot of research that full inclusion of students with disabilities is not suitable for all students, so we have to determine who needs full integration or partial integration for the most effective instruction.
The training of teachers to work with children with disabilities is limited at present. The major universities in Kenya teach a few courses, while the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) is the major training source. However, for a teacher to receive the two year diploma offered at KISE, one needs five years teaching experience, which culminates into a long period of waiting. Consequently, many Kenyans opt to pursue further studies in special education abroad (Anderson, 2000). One of the private universities, Daystar University, hopes to begin offering B.Ed. and M.ED. programs to fully train teachers to work with students who have hearing impairments and learning disabilities. This is a positive step because as is evident in the USA, well trained teachers are contributing to the effective teaching of these children in schools.
I see the need in Kenya for more teachers to receive training in special education, so they will be in a position, in the future, to serve students with special needs in the integrated schools. Frequently, teachers are not prepared well enough for student assessment. Mrs. Mumbi Mwangi, a former chief examiner with the Kenya National Examination Council in Home Science, shared how students who are blind were required to knit some items as part of their exams but were not appropriately assessed nor were the teachers trained on how to evaluate the performance. In the end the assessment proved insensitive to the needs of the students. The Kenyan universities also need to develop a curriculum that includes a wider field of disability areas to study and to maintain academic exchanges with universities in the developed countries so they can learn from one another.
Another thing I have observed is that technology is being integrated with special education on a wide scale here in the USA. A lot of programs are being developed to help students with disabilities have an easier access to education through computer technology and the use of different kinds of software. One example is reading where a child can listen to a book read on computer to learn how to pronounce words. Goldstein (1998) writes that computers have been very helpful in keeping students motivated during learning since they use sound, sight, and touch to keep them interested. By using computers students can work at their own pace and teachers are able to keep the students¼ records in a better and easier way. In Kenya, teachers can share ideas on how to use available tools, like radios and tape recorders to help children with disabilities. One of these is the use of tape recorders so a student can listen to reading a story, which he/she can follow along as he/she reads a book. This will help him/her learn how to pronounce the words with which he has difficulty. In addition this will help the student experience a method of learning different from the teacher-directed approach. With time schools can plan on getting computers or they can find ways to share with those schools that already have them.
Of all the changes that are needed for special education to grow and be more effective, the need for society to change its attitudes toward children and adults with disabilities is the most important. We all need to recognize their capabilities and accept and respect them as they are, seeking to integrate them in the equal provision of education. More opportunities can be created where the public is more involved with these children. For example by volunteering to be with them and help in the class and take them for visits, people can get to know others with disabilities. Families need to be educated, and parents of children with disabilities can work together with organizations of people with disabilities in order to fight for the rights of the people with disabilities as legitimate citizens. I find that here in the USA, parents are greatly involved in the education of their child with disabilities. They attend meetings held to discuss the educational progress of the child. In this way they ensure their child's educational needs are met and they feel they are involved.
In Kenya, the government needs to play a greater role to show it cares for people with disabilities by supporting their rights and helping to provide such things as accessibility, which is generally lacking. The government can help by reviewing the provision of special education services at present and establish special education offices in more districts. These offices can coordinate closely the provision of special education services in schools. Teachers can refer to these nearby offices when they need to consult and get teaching materials. These offices can also organize seminars for teachers and parents to attend to be more informed of new developments and practices in special education. The government can also facilitate the academic exchanges with other countries, by sending educators abroad for more specialized training.
These children with disabilities have the potential to do great things for their country and for themselves. Already there are professors, musicians, and teachers, among other professionals, in Kenya with visual impairments and other disabilities who are great role models and who have contributed so much to society. America too has many people who have disabilities such as dyslexia (a type of reading disability), and are now famous for their success as individuals. Kenya can greatly improve special education services for the good of the whole country, by learning from other countries, like the USA, which has a history of successful special education programs geared to improving the lives of the people with disabilities, starting with the children.