Increasing Participation in Education of Deaf Learners in South Africa and Zimbabwe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/17217Keywords:
participation, deaf learners, inclusive education, transformative strategies, sign bilingual educationAbstract
In this article, we adopt the social model of disability which views deafness as a positive diversity and cultural marker and not as a disability, and is framed within Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Using desktop analysis, we review the literature and analyse policy frameworks on the educational conditions and practices of deaf education in South Africa and Zimbabwe. We also explore the best practices for improving the educational participation of deaf learners using integrative literature review, experience and intuition. On the whole, the article is premised on the linguistic human rights of Deaf people. From our widespread reading and experiences, we use deductive reasoning to conclude that the poor performance of deaf learners in education in South Africa and Zimbabwe is caused by limited access to quality education as a result of the lack of full participation in the learning process. We therefore propose transformative strategies for educating deaf learners in the form of sign bilingual education, Deaf-centric approaches to teaching and learning and perpetuation of visual rather than audiological technological equipment. Sign bilingual education is a relatively new inclusive education model which calls for the fair use of Sign Language and oral languages in the education of deaf learners. Ultimately, we implore future researchers in the two countries to use scientific inquiry to tackle issues of availability and accessibility of ICTs. We also implore governments to rigorously implement transformative policies towards the advancement of full and equal participation of deaf learners in education.
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