BARRIERS TO ACCESSING FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING COLLEGES FOR SOUTH AFRICAN SIGN LANGUAGE USERS IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Access to Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges for South African Sign Language (SASL) users inKwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remains critically constrained despite a robust legislative and policy frameworkmandating inclusive education. This study investigates the factors impeding access for SASL users, examinesmeasures taken by FET Colleges to accommodate Deaf students, and proposes targeted interventions toimprove participation. Using a mixed methods research design, data were collected through structuredquestionnaires completed by 50 Deaf participants and semi-structured interviews conducted with two FETCollege management representatives. Findings reveal that 100% of college management acknowledgedinstitutional inaccessibility for SASL users, citing the absence of government funding as the primary barrier.Furthermore, 82% of Deaf participants confirmed FET Colleges in KZN are inaccessible, and 80% identifiedSASL interpreter services as the critical support mechanism required to enable access. Grounded in the SocialModel of Disability, this study demonstrates a significant gap between inclusive education policy and itsimplementation, and argues for urgent budgetary allocation, SASL staff training, and the fulloperationalisation of constitutional language rights for the Deaf community.