Learning experiences of students with visual impairment at the university of dar es salaam

The purpose of this study was to examine the learning experiences of students with visual impairment at the University of Dar es Salaam so as to understand how they learn, the challenges they experience in the process of learning and strategies they use to cope with these challenges and continue with their studies. The study employed qualitative research approach and utilised interviews, non-participant observation, documentary review and focused group discussion as methods of data collection. Information was sought from twelve final year visually impaired students, four staff of the Special Education Unit, twelve Readers and six lecturers. This study demonstrated that students with visual impairment face a lot of challenges in learning hence use extra effort and perseverance. In the library for example, all books, journal articles and other reading materials are in normal print which are not accessible to students with visual impairment unless they are converted into Braille. Even sorting them to get the most relevant reference material for a specific course or when tackling assignments was not easy without vision. The situation in the lecture and seminar rooms was difficult too. Lecturers were sometimes using teaching techniques that were not favourable to students with visual impairment. In addition to this, the infrastructure within and around the campus is not user friendly for the student with visual impairment to move from one point to another. Therefore, while it is true that all university students share common characteristics of being ‘university students’ the way they experience learning is different given the uniqueness of their educational needs. Although, the University of Dar es Salaam has demonstrated its commitment in providing equal access to educational opportunities to all individuals, a lot more needs to be done to enable students with visual impairment learn effectively.The study recommended among other things, that the UDSM should organise periodic short courses aimed at sensitising lecturers on the special learning circumstances facing visually impaired students. Another recommendation with long-term implication could be to conduct a follow-up study on the process of teacher training so to determine the training gap and how adequately teachers (lecturers) ought to be prepared to be able to handle inclusive classes.