Disability and Education in Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue IX, September 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Disability and Education in Kenya

Dr Stephen Nzoka
Kenyatta University, Kenya

I. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper contents that disabilities do not necessarily become handicaps when appropriate services are timely secured to reduce the severity of a disability be it behavioral, cognitive, visual or physical Barraga; Shool (1986). To this end, education plays an indispensable role towards this accomplishment.
At the achievement political independence, fifty six years down the line, Kenya recognized education as a basic human right and a powerful tool for human resource of national development. Since then, all policy documents and educational reports in the country have constantly retaliated the importance of education to be the key to eliminate the three social upheavals namely: poverty, disease and illiteracy(African socialist 1965; Abbot, S. & McConkey, R. 2006)
Certainly, it may readily be agreed that this political recognition of education as a basic human right covered all Kenyans, including those with disabilities. Hitherto, however, one wonders how far successful has this fight been for able bodied citizens let alone those with disabilities. How active has the government and the entire community been in championing the educational, social and political participation of persons with disabilities and what role have persons with disabilities themselves played and continue to play with regard to their pertinent and basic human development? Gachathi (1976) observed that nearly all children with disabilities, through education, could be helped to overcome limitations imposed upon them by their disabilities to live happily and constructively with the rest of their counterparts in society (Sessional paper No 1 2005)
Definition of terms
The term ‘disability’ is not a disease. It’s rather a condition which makes someone unable to use a part/s of his/her body effectively. The causes vary from disability to disability although they might have a high correlation. These causes include heredity, disease, injury, speech disorders, behavioral emotional disorders, deformity of organs, physical and health impairments, hearing impairments, visual impairments mental retardation, gifts and talents, autism and learning difficulties among others Ndurumo (1993).

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