Assistive Technology on Teaching Mathematics to Learners with Visual Impairments in Special Primary Schools in Kenya
- April 11, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: Education
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705
Chege Mary Wairimu, Joel M. Chomba, Beatrice Bunyasi Awori
Department of Special Education, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Corresponding Author: Chege Mary Wairimu
Abstract: The study was conducted to identify types of Assistive Technology used for teaching Mathematics to learners with visual impairments in special primary schools for learners with Visual Impairments in Kenya. A descriptive research design was employed to achieve the objective of the study. The data have been collected through observational checklist and classroom observation schedule of the selected special primary schools. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample of five deputy head teachers. Study data was analysed manually through narrative means using thematic. The result of the study indicates that there was scarcity of Assistive Technology in special primary schools for learners with visual impairments in Kenya. Largely, Low-Tech Assistive Technology was available while modern Mid-Tech and High-Tech Assistive Technology were visibly lacking. The study recommends that: the government through Ministry of Education to allocate necessary funds for acquisition and physical supply of much needed modern Assistive Technology for teaching Mathematics to special primary schools for learners with Visual Impairments.
Key words: Assistive Technology, Visual Impairments, Teachers of Mathematics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
I. INTRODUCTION
Education in any country plays an invaluably pivotal role in its economic growth and social development According to (Ogula, 2010). Ability to work out Mathematics problems is a necessary and valuable life skill (Stein, 2013). Whether you are paying bill, shopping for groceries or cooking from a recipe, Mathematics skills are important. Further, the basics developments in Mathematics such as equations, subtraction, addition, multiplication and division are implicitly used in everyday application like buying and selling, sharing, counting and measuring. However, it is the process of learning which can be affected by different abilities and disabilities (Manchishi, 2015). Visual Impairments is one of the disabilities that can affect learners’ abilities to learn Mathematics and understanding these issues is essential to helping learners overcome them. “Mathematics is the mother science of the abstract world” (Chiu, 2007, p. 64).
