REHABILITEES WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS’ CANE SKILLS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON INDEPENDENT TRAVEL IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Autors/ores

  • Gisore Varsytine Kwamboka Masters Student, Department of Early Childhood and Special Needs Education, PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Margaret Murugami Lecturer, Dr., Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Nelly Otube Lecturer, Dr., Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v10i1.5193

Paraules clau:

orientation, visual impairments, orientation and mobility

Resum

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of rehabilitees with visual impairment cane skills on their independent travel. The study was based on Bandura’s social cognitive learning theory. The researcher used a case study research design. The study was carried out at Kenya Institute for the Blind located in Nairobi County, Kenya. The target population was two orientation and mobility trainers and fifty rehabilitees with visual impairment who lost sight between the years 2011 and 2016 and who underwent rehabilitation at KIB. A purposive sampling technique was used to select KIB for the study. Snowball sampling technique was used to locate thirty-seven rehabilitees with visual impairment. Data was collected using questionnaires. The pilot study was conducted at Machakos Technical Institute for the Blind because of its similar characteristics in the admission of rehabilitees with visual impairment. The researcher ensured the content validity of the research instruments through discussion with supervisors and lecturers in the Department of early childhood and Special Needs Education. Quantitative data was gathered using questionnaires and processed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented using tables. The findings revealed that mobility canes were the main device used at Kenya Institute for the Blind for orientation and mobility. Worldwide, canes were the most used device for orientation and mobility for individuals with visual impairment. In KIB, the device was limited in supply and not readily available. Cane skills were the most popular orientation and mobility techniques among rehabilitees in KIB. The study concluded that rehabilitees were not adequately trained since a substantial period of time has elapsed yet they have not indicated favourable independent travel to their places of work. Orientation and mobility training at KIB led to the acquisition of necessary skills relevant to independent travel of individuals with visual impairment. The study recommended that there is a need for Kenya Government to facilitate the production of cheap locally made long canes suitable for our Kenyan roads.

 

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Biografies de l'autor/a

  • Gisore Varsytine Kwamboka, Masters Student, Department of Early Childhood and Special Needs Education, PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Gisore Varsytine Kwamboka is a senior braille technologist working at the Department of Examinations and Timetabling, Chuka University, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. She is a Master’s Degree holder in Special Needs Education (Visual Impairment) at the Department of Early Childhood and Special Needs Education in the School of Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya. Her research interests are advancing in research of learners with visual impairments.

  • Margaret Murugami, Lecturer, Dr., Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Dr. Margaret Murugami is Lecturer in the School of Education at the Department of Early Childhood and Special Needs, Kenyatta University, Kenya. She is a PhD holder in Doctor of Education in Inclusive Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria.

  • Nelly Otube, Lecturer, Dr., Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Dr. Nelly Otube is a Lecturer, Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya. She is a PhD holder in Learning Disabilities from Hamburg University, Germany.

Referències

ACVREP (Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professional). Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (2015). [January 18, 2019] https://www.acvrep.org/ascertion/control/certifications/coms

Ballemans, J., Kempen, G. I. J. M. & Zijlstra, G. A. R. (2011). Orientation and mobility training for partially sighted older adults using an identification cane: A systematic review. Clinical rehabilitation. 2011; 25(10):880-891

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social-cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bhagotra, S., Sharma, A. K. & Raina, B. (2008). Psychosocial Adjustments and Rehabilitation of the Blind. Journal of Social Medicine 10: 1-51.

Bozeman, L., & McCulley, R. M. (2010). Improving orientation for students with vision loss. In W. R. Wiener, R. L. Welsch, & B. B. Blasch (Eds.) Foundations of orientation and mobility: Vol. 2. (3rd ed., pp. 27-53). New York, NY: AFB Press.

Erickson, W., Lee C., & Von Schrader, S. (2017). Disability Statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Yan-Tan Institute (YTI)

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Mukanziza, V. (2019). Challenges Trainees with Visual Impairment Encounter in Learning Orientation and Mobility: Case of Study, Masaka Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Kigali, Rwanda (Master’s Thesis). Kenyatta University, Kenya.

Musango, M. (2019). Tactile Materials as Correlates of Performance in Mathematics among Learners in Thika High School for the Blind, Kiambu County Kenya. (Master’s Thesis). Kenyatta University, Kenya. Retrieved from https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/20608

Salleh, N. M., & Zainal, K. (2018). Instructional Model for Social Skills Intervention Children with Visual Impairment. Creative Education, 9, 2325-2333.

Tataka, W. (2018). Curriculum Barriers to Teaching Orientation and Mobility in Selected Schools for Learners with Visual Impairment, West Pokot and Siaya Counties, Kenya. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Kenyatta University.

Welsh L. R. and Blasch B. B. (1980). Foundations for Orientation and Mobility. American Federation for the Blind. Retrieved on the 20th of January 2020. Retrieved from https://www.aph.org/product/foundations-of-orientation-and-mobility-3rd-edition-volume-1/

Wiener, W. R., Welsh, R. L. & Blasch, B. B. (2010). Foundations of orientation and mobility: Instructional strategies and practical applications (3rd ed.). Portland, ME, U.S.A.: AFP Press publishers.

Descàrregues

Publicat

2024-02-02

Número

Vol. 10 Núm. 1 (2024)

Secció

Articles

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