EXPERIENCES OF TEACHERS IN TEACHING LEARNERS WITH DEAFBLINDNESS AT BAULENI SPECIAL SCHOOL IN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

The study explored the experiences of teachers in teaching and managing learners with deafblindness (DB) at Bauleni Special Needs School in Lusaka, Zambia. The study objectives were to: explore how deafblind education is being offered at Bauleni Special Needs School in Lusaka, establish challenges faced by teachers in teaching DB at Bauleni Special Needs School in Lusaka and explore the coping mechanism that teachers employ in managing experiences of teaching DB at Bauleni Special school. Interpretive paradigm and explanatory qualitative case study were employed to address the experiences of educators of learners with DB’s questions of the study. The sample size comprised of 10 teachers, and homogeneous sampling was used to select them and was determined by the completeness of the data and the achievement of theoretical saturation. The interview guide was used to collect data teachers for learners of DB, and documentary analysis, which involves a critical look at the documents viewed as suitable for the study, was done, and data were triangulated and analysed thematically. The study revealed the use of intervenors, use of toys or objects, touch cues in tactile sign language, family involvement and through orientation and mobility as ways in which deafblind education is being offered. To sum up, in teaching learners with DB, there is a need for specialized training, adaptive strategies, and institutional support to effectively meet the unique educational and communication needs of these learners. Based on these findings, the study recommends capacity-building programmes on DB for teachers to have a more comprehensive understanding of DB to enhance communication and interpersonal interaction between teachers and learners with DB.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0735/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>