Influence of Provision of Mobility and Self-help Services on Academic Performance of Learners with Physical Disabilities in Kiambu County

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue II, February 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

Influence of Provision of Mobility and Self-help Services on Academic Performance of Learners with Physical Disabilities in Kiambu County

Njeri P. Ndung’u¹, Dr. Fransiscah I. Wamocho², Dr. Nelly W. Otube^3
1Master’s Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
^2,3 Lecturer, Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract: The aim of this study was find out how provision of mobility and self- help skills influence academic performance of learners with physical disabilities in Kiambu County. The study adopted survey research design, employing survey method to achieve the objectives. The study was guided by Social Cognitive Theory which shows that human functioning controls a central role of cognitive vicarious, self-regulatory and self-reflective processes in human adaptation and change. The study targeted 120 learners with physical disabilities, 400 teachers and 12 professionals such as social workers, counselors, nurses and occupational therapists. Purposive sampling was used to select four professionals and stratified random sampling technique was used to select thirty six learners and one hundred and twenty teachers. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect information. The quantitative data was sorted, coded and keyed into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and presented using descriptive statistics where tables of frequencies and percentages were used. The findings revealed that support services helped the learners to participate in class, socialize with others and improved the performance of the learners. The conclusion of the study was that support services helped the learners to participate and socialize hence improved performance of learners. The study recommended that school management of learners with physical disabilities should be keen in provision of adequate self-help skills to learners by employing an occupational therapist.

Keywords: Mobility Services, Self-help Services, Academic Performance, Learners with Physical Disabilities

I. INTRODUCTION

As per World Health Organization (2015), disability is a limitation or inability to execute an activity in a manner that it is within the range deliberated as normal for humans. Globally, it is estimated that the number of children with disabilities is about 7-10% of the total child population. Physical disabilities are impairment that interfere with an individuals’ mobility, communication, coordination, learning and individual adjustment that cover a wide range of conditions from a mild degree of clumsiness, to the child using a wheelchair who actually require support in his/her daily living (Barbotte & Chau, 2011). This is due to the reason that physical impairment affects one’s ability to move about, to use arms and legs effectively, to swallow food and or breathe without depending on the caregiver.

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