Sociocultural Factors as a Determinant of Parental Negligence in the Education of Children with Physical Disabilities in Tiko

Abstract

Aim: Education is one of the basic human rights. The right to education has been enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The rights of PWD are a growing phenomenon Worldwide. Learners who are physically disabled have constraints in attaining their academic endeavors, which would enable them to be self-reliant. The objective of this study was to examine sociocultural factors as a determinant of parental negligence in the education of children with physical disabilities in Tiko Municipality.
 Methods: The study was guided by Bowly Attachment theory. The study population included children who were physically disabled below twenty-five years of age. The study used descriptive research design. The starting point was interviews with 10 teachers and 20 individuals who were physically disabled in a school. One hundred children who were physically disabled were finally selected, 40 female learners in school were selected using purposive sampling procedure and 60 males out of school were selected using snowball sampling procedure until saturation. Qualitative data was analyzed through ethnographic methods of thematic analysis. The data was presented using texts and verbatim quotations. Quantitative data was coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and was presented in the form of tables and charts.
 Results: The findings showed that, children with physical disabilities had negative attitude towards their own education. Due to financial constraints in most of the families of children with physical disabilities and the fact that their education was more expensive than their able bodied siblings, they were left at home while others went to school. Children with physical disabilities who were orphaned had no one to take them to school. It was also realized that social barriers such as community perception as well as physical barriers posed many difficulties in accessing education by children with physical disabilities.
 Recommendation: The study recommends that children with physical disabilities should be exposed to role models with physical disabilities who have gone through education and are successful enough to be emulated.