The Future of Education

This poster illustrates the experiences of students with visual impairments in a selected university in Zimbabwe and show the framework that was design for their inclusion. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological and Bandura’s agentic theories served as theoretical framework for this research as both stress the bi-directional relationship between an individual and the environment. A qualitative case study design was used. Data collection methods were rich in drawing together semi-structured interviews, photo-voice, document analysis and observation. The poster displays some of the photographs taken by student participants with low vision to accentuate

their experiences on campus.  Data generated were analyzed following emergent themes that were used to answer the research questions. Findings revealed that the university started enrolling visual impaired students in 2004, but policy on inclusion is still absent. The students’ positive experiences resulted, among other things, from single room allocations and the support received from friends and staff. On the other side, negative experiences emanated from bureaucratic admission procedures, the absence of orientation and mobility training, financial challenges, hostile social environment and the students’ perceptions of themselves. The conclusion reached was that although the university was sensitive to issues of inclusion there were still some deficiencies in the system. The study recommended a synthesized framework for higher institutions, showing the different committees and support systems which can be formed at different levels to facilitate a comprehensive policy on inclusion and its implementation.