Inclusive Education: Perception of Visually Impaired Students, Students Without Disability, and Teachers in Ghana

Edward Asamoah,Alhassan Abdullah,Joy Ato Nyarko,Kwadwo Ofori-Dua,Ebenezer Cudjoe

doi:10.1177/2158244018807791

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of visually impaired students, their peers without disabilities, and teachers about inclusive education, focusing on a second cycle educational institution in the Eastern region of Ghana implementing inclusive education for the visually impaired. In this study, we collected data from 23 visually impaired students, 27 students without disabilities, and 19 teachers in the inclusive school. Data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews. This study followed a phenomenological approach, reporting findings from participants’ own words. The study findings revealed that visually impaired students and some teachers supported inclusion while a number of students without disabilities disliked the practice. Some teachers indicated that the idea of inclusive education is a good way to ensure equal educational opportunities. The study concludes that Ghanaian teachers in inclusive schools should be equipped with training to teach students with disabilities.

Highlights

Providing all students in general education classes with highquality instructions, intervention, and support is a hallmark of inclusive education (Vorapanya & Dunlap, 2014)
The study findings have been presented according to the research objectives: to explore the perception of visually impaired students, students without disabilities, and teachers about inclusive education and to identify the views about attitudes toward the visually impaired in an inclusive school
This study explored the perception of visually impaired students, their peers without disabilities, and teachers about inclusive education

Summary

Introduction

Providing all students in general education classes with highquality instructions, intervention, and support is a hallmark of inclusive education (Vorapanya & Dunlap, 2014). The concept and philosophy of inclusive education gained international attention when the United Nations promoted the idea of Education for All at the World Conference on Education for All in Thailand in 1990. A policy statement on inclusive education emanating from the 1994 Salamanca Conference in Spain challenged all nations, schools, and educators to provide effective education for all students including those with special needs (Kuyini & Desai, 2007). It has been estimated that 40.1% of the 737,743 persons with disabilities in Ghana are visually impaired (Ghana Statistical Service, 2014). It has been revealed in Ghana that, in eight out of the 10 regions, over four in every 10 individuals with disabilities are visually impaired. Out of the 288,868 school-aged individuals with visual impairments in

Objectives

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion