Experiences of Teachers of Deaf and Hard- of- Hearing Students’ in a Special Needs School: An Exploratory Study

This study reports on the experiences of teachers of the deaf and hard-of- hearing students in a special needs high school for the deaf in Eswatini. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was exploratory in nature. Participants comprised of eighteen (n =18) purposively sampled teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. They participated in individual in-depth and focus group discussion interviews on the teaching and communication aspects with deaf and hard- of- hearing students. Data were also collected through documents review. Credibility and trustworthiness of data were established through member checks. Data were thematically analysed for important meanings. Teachers reported to experience gaps in professional competencies to teach the mainstream curriculum for which they needed further education. Variation in sign language impacting learner engagement hindered teachers’ communication with the deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their parents. Teachers reported to have in service professional training needs which included collaboration, consultation, assessment instruments and language skills. The findings have important implications for policy and practice in educating the deaf and hard- of- hearing students and for interpreting previous research. There is urgent need for the country to consider having a standardized sign language which could enhance positive teaching and learning outcomes as well as social integration for the future lives of these students. Understanding experiences of these teachers from the lived cultural milieu are important for the design and implementation of programmes for supporting the deaf and hard- of hearing learners, their teachers and parents

Lived Experiences of Parents’ of Children with Disabilities in Swaziland

Raising a child with disability is a challenge to most parents. The study explored the lived experiences of parents of children with disabilities in Swaziland. The specific objective was to determine the challenges which parents of children with disability encounter at home, school and community, which may hinder them to work collaboratively with educators for the betterment of the children. A phenomenological design was adopted. Participants were parents (female =16; Males=4) who were purposively sampled from a rural setting (Maphalaleni area) whose children attended in 20 primary schools in the same area. Data were collected using semi structured interview guides and were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that the parents encounter challenges at work, at home, school and in the community such as emotional stress, failure to cope with the children’s disability and financial challenges. The study also indicated that the parents were not sure of what was expected of them in making educational decisions on behalf of their children. It also reported that parents of children with disabilities were not trained on how to cope with their children’s disability and how to work with educators. The findings suggest the need for the development of training programmes which will empower parents with knowledge to better partner with educators for the benefit of the child. To address these challenges, government will need to put in place policies which will look at the needs of parents of the children with disabilities