ENHANCING ACCESS TO BRAILLE MATERIALS FOR OPTIMAL LEARNING AT KIBOS PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, KISUMU COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to determine the approaches to enhancing access to Braille materials for optimal learning at Kibos Primary School for the Blind. The study was guided by the main objective which was to determine the causes of the shortage of Braille materials at Kibos Primary School for the Blind. The study employed a case study research design with a target population comprising 26 teachers, one transcriber, a librarian, and a resource person. Census was used to acquire the needed information from the target population since it was small, and the researcher had no control. Interview schedules and questionnaires were administered to different groups of respondents. A pilot study was conducted in one of the primary schools for learners with visual impairment within the study area. Data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitively. Qualitative data was organized, reviewed and data coding system developed, data was assigned codes and recurring themes were identified and the results were presented in narratives, while quantitative data was analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17. The findings revealed that school enrollment of both male and female pupils was on the rise. However, the enrollment of male pupils was higher. The results also indicated that mathematics and science subjects were most affected by the shortage of braille learning materials. Among the identified causes of the shortage of Braille learning materials were: inadequate funding, regular change of syllabus, delay caused by producers of the materials, lengthy procurement procedures and increased admission of new learners with visual impairment. This study recommended that to enhance access to Braille learning materials at the school; the government should give adequate funds and build the capacity of the braille transcribers. The study was necessary since the government policy on education for all did not seem to cater adequately for Braille learning materials for learners with visual impairment.  Article visualizations: