E-Learning amidst Covid-19 for the Visually Impaired Students at Kwame Nkrumah University – Kabwe, Zambia: Absolute or a Discriminatory Outlook

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess e-learning amidst Covid-19 for the visually impaired students at Kwame Nkrumah University. The population for the study involved a total number of thirty-five students from Kwame Nkrumah University who provided complete information regarding the survey. A physical and an online survey were conducted on different social platforms like student WhatsApp groups and Zoom from 10th May to 8 July 2021 to collect data. This research took a qualitative approach. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Interview guide and unstructured questionnaires were used to collect data. The main findings were that during the quarantine period, around 5% of visually impaired learners were involved in e-learning. Most of the learners used android mobile for attending e-learning lessons. Further, the study revealed that students were facing various problems relating to failure to pay 50% of the fees as a condition to access online e-learning lectures, not having smart phones which have voice prompts or better still smart phones specifically for the visually impaired persons, poor internet connectivity and unfavorable study environment at home. Students from remote areas of Zambia and those with completely no gadgets were the most affected in terms of accessibility to the e-learning platform. As a result of the many challenges the visually impaired students are still facing during this period of e-learning amid covid19, this study recommends to Kwame Nkrumah University management to devise a flexible education system that will be inclusive in terms of accessibility and will enforce the skill for employability and productivity.