SOCIAL INCLUSION AS A TASK IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF PERSONS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: IMPLICATION FOR SPECIAL NEEDS COUNSELLING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejphs.v4i1.86Keywords:
visual impairment, social inclusion, special needs counselling guidelines, counselling implicationsAbstract
Social skill is the foundation upon which other skills are built. Without a social presence, visually impaired students may encounter isolation, difficulty with inter personal relationships, difficulty with employment and independent living as adults. Over the past years in which children with visual impairment have been included in public schools and most especially private special schools with increasing numbers, the practicalities and legalities of ensuring access to the curriculum have often taken precedence to, and sometimes obscured the issue of social inclusion. The UK, Scottish Government and Nigeria through adoption recognises that ensuring all children develop good levels of social competency in their school years has the potential to be a very powerful strategy for promoting lifelong social inclusion. Providing equal access to education in an inclusive setting to all individuals with disabilities is the key element of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992 making it the role of the school in promoting, developing and supporting the social skills of all pupils as documented in the legislation and guidelines. So, bringing the social world at a very early age to a child who is blind is an essential skill or task in the developmental process of a child with visual impairment. This paper therefore is an attempt at discussing social inclusion as a task in the developmental process of persons with visual impairment and its implication to special needs counselling. To this end, this work uses two facets of social inclusion which is education through interacting with society and education through fulfilling social roles. Special Needs Counselling guidelines and management of children with visual impairment for social, academic, physical and spiritual adjustment are also highlighted.
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