Challenges and Management of Disabilities Among Exceptional Learners in Inclusive Primary Schools in Busia District, Uganda

Introduction

The universal declaration of human rights of 1948 has accorded a critical space for the realization of free access to universal special needs education as a main agenda of the world conferences (Kiyuba & Tukur, 2014). A case in point is the 1989 Convention on Children’s Rights. During this convention, most countries signed to, and voted on this right as a statutory declaration. This was followed by the two world conferences in 1990, the Jomtein conference and the world summit for children, which resulted in many countries emphasizing Universal Primary Education (UPE). A target of ten years had been set to achieve global primary special needs education for exceptional learners. After the set ten years had elapsed in 2000, it was evident that the target was far from reach, and the progress was slow (Delamonica et al., 2014). Learners with disability or any special needs and those who could not be catered for by the dominant education system (i.e., exceptional children) were separated and taught in “special” institutions. The realization that education practices were inappropriate was solidified and a new re-conceptualization of beliefs and values was set (Artiles et al., 2016).

Exceptional children are those who differ from regular or “normal” children by exhibiting below average mental characteristics, sensory abilities, communication abilities, social behaviour and physical characteristics (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [CRPD], 2017, Article 1). According to Grogan (2016), such deviation must be of such an extent that the child requires a modification of school practices, or special needs educational services to develop their full potential for normal functioning. Individuals in this category are often referred to as “persons with disabilities”. The CRPD further asserts that persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments. These impairments often hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The concept of disability entails lots of categories of people whose activities are limited by a number of factors including physical handicaps such as visual or hearing disabilities, chronic illness, mental health and communication disorders, intellectual disabilities, genetic disorders, disfigurement, and those with problems associated with aging or delay in achieving development/cognitive capabilities (Combrinck, 2018). Retief and Letšosa (2018) offer a socialized definition of disability, referring to it as a situation caused by social conditions, which requires for its elimination (a) that no one aspect such as incomes, mobility or institutions is treated differently; (b) that disabled people should take control over their own lives; and (c) that professionals, experts and others who offer to help must promote such control by disabled persons. Another socialized definition is advanced by Uganda Society for Disabled Children (USDC, 2011) which defines disability as inability to perform in a manner considered “normal” in a particular society or community. This inability can arise as a result of impairment or other causes.

Learning disabilities may refer to underdeveloped skills in one or more areas, usually related to neurological disorders. A learning disability makes students to consistently perform below the level of their intelligence relative to their regular peers (Combrinck, 2018). It is added by USDC that the most common learning disabilities include autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) which include autism, atypical autism, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder, obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Tourette syndrome (Halfon, 2012).