Deaf Education Policies in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This chapter discusses prospects in the education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in light of the dichotomy between Zimbabwean government curriculum policy and the reality of implementation in a context where there are many different languages and cultures. Policy co-articulation in the education of students who are DHH is influenced by overlaps in changing perceptions of disability, the increasing availability of audiometric technology, and the Deaf community’s lobbying for the use of Zimbabwean Sign Language. Educational provision for DHH students has grown from five special schools with 800 students in 1981 to the current six special schools and ninety mainstream units catering for nearly 2,600 students. The chapter analyzes the discourses that dominate policymaking and implementation in these special schools and mainstream units, as they are the major site of struggles on interpreting and implementing policies for DHH students in Zimbabwe.