The Teaching Strategies used by Teachers for Learners with Autism-Blindness in Three Counties in Kenya

Abstract

The learning needs of learners with multiple disabilities in Kenya are not adequately addressed because the teaching strategies used by the teachers are not customized to the individual needs of the learners. Many of the Kenyan special schools and units combine learners with multiple disabilities into one group irrespective of the fact that different multiple disabilities will require different instructional methods, specialized personnel, different teaching resources, different support services and different curriculum adaptations among others. Teachers are specifically trained to teach learners with specific disabilities such as visual, hearing, mental and physical impairments. Consequently, when they are posted to schools where learners have more than one or more disabilities, they are unable to differentiate instructions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the teaching strategies used by teachers for learners with autism blindness in the counties of Kisumu, Kiambu and Nairobi in Kenya. The study adopted the triangulation mixed methods. The target population was made up of 10 teachers teaching learners with autism blindness, and the sample was selected purposively. One of the major findings was that teachers were inadequately trained to teach learners with autism blindness. The teaching resources and support services were found to be inadequate and the curriculum used was not catering for their needs.

Key words: Multiple disabilities, autism blindness, teaching strategies