During the just-concluded Nairobi International Book Fair, eKitabu set up activities for learners who are deaf or visually impaired at its stand. These learners were accompanied by their respective teachers. It was observed that most of the gadgets necessary for inclusive education were not available in schools, and so this was a great learning opportunity for the kids. 

“We have been missing braille books, storybooks that are written in braille and audio books,” said John Mbugua, a special education teacher from Our Lady of Mercy Special Unit in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi.

Judging from the excitement at the book fair, gone are the days when children with special needs were rejected and treated as outcasts. Then, no one understood how to treat them or help them learn basic skills. Most children with special needs were left at home when other kids were taken to school as there was a scarcity of special needs schools.

In the twenty-first century, things are markedly different. Systems have been put in place to ensure that kids with special needs have an education and also a good life. Challenges  remain, however, and these range from a lack of schools to a lack of special needs teachers, and from limited teaching aids to inaccessible facilities.

For the learners with visual impairment, the gadgets they use must be inclusive of touch as their main tool of learning is their hands. Therefore, Orbit readers, 3D model instruments and braille books were used during the fair. Storytelling is also encouraged, with deliberate use of words as learners with visual impairment cannot imagine things they have never touched or seen.

For the deaf learners, things are quite the opposite, whereby they cannot hear anything. They rely mostly on their visual ability to learn. Sign language interpreters are mostly used to communicate with them using tablets to read words and learn spelling. “For a deaf child, knowing sign language is easy but knowing the spellings is hard,” remarked Samantha Keremi, a special needs teacher for the hearing impaired at Wangu Primary School and Special Unit.

During the fair, Keremi described the concentration of her kids as one of the best. According to her, there was more room for learning and the sign language interpreters fully engaged the students. She also described how in their school, all the grades are placed under one roof and the class is usually small, making the kids’ concentration generally low.

“I enjoyed learning and dancing; the session was amazing,” said Elaine Wambui, an 11-year-old deaf girl from Wangu Primary School and Special Unit. The learners were overjoyed by the session at the fair. The presence of learners from other schools who were not deaf but were curious and attentive to learn sign language made the session even more exciting.

Another challenge that came up was lack of electricity in schools and the lack of internet access. One can only wonder how the kids learn in such places and the availability of teaching aids.

It was realised that most people who want to include special needs children in their conversations and even play with them were hindered by communication barriers. It is not just the deaf and visually impaired who suffer this problem, but also children with other disabilities. The curriculum in Kenya seems not to favour them, but with willing donors and researchers willing to support them, the situation can be different.

The differently-abled children also need willing tutors who are patient with them as they need a lot of support, those present said. This calls for the society to take greater interest to learn the needs and language of the affected children in order to make a difference.

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