Experiences and concerns of students with disabilities in inclusive education at Makerere University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the experiences and concerns of Students with Disabilities in the inclusive education setting at Makerere University. The study aims to determine the benefits and challenges of inclusive education to Students with Disabilities in Makerere University and to suggest solutions to the challenges faced by Students with Disabilities in the university. The research followed an exploratory study design and qualitative and quantitative data was obtained. A sample of 44 undergraduate Students with Disabilities was systematically chosen to participate in this study by answering the designed questions in the interview guide. Excel (2010) was used to analyze quantitative data and to draw pie charts and graphs showing the distribution of respondents per disability. Qualitative data was analysed using Content analysis technique where the responses of students were categorized into themes and each theme described and explained. The findings show that inclusive education has many benefits to students with Disabilities like free socialization, sense of responsibility, attainment of communication skills were also registered. These students also face some challenges such as infrastructure inaccessibility, limited time to accomplish assignments, absence of special reading materials and segregation. The study therefore concluded that to be inclusive, institutions need to reconsider and reframe their inclusive policies and practices and eliminate the barriers that hinder the participation and learning of students at the university level.