Access to counselling services for students with visual impairment in the selected universities in Tanzania: focus on social-psychological and educational needs
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Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
Students with Visual Impairments (SWVIs) are enrolled in most of the universities of Tanzania.Various studies have been conducted on problems facing SWIs in their interaction with different school environment. However, none of those studies has attempted to address SWVIs’ access to counselling services offered in the universities. This study investigated SWVIs’ access to counselling services provided in the universities and how those services address SWVIs’ needs. The study was guided by the following objectives: to identify sources of social psychological problems facing SWVIs in the selected universities; to analyse supportive counselling and other psychological services available for handling social, psychological and educational problems facing SWVIs; to analyse the extent to which the available counselling services are capable of addressing social, psychological and academic needs of SWVIs; and to explore challenges encountered by SWVIs in accessing counselling services in the universities. The study was conducted in two selected universities namely the University of Dar es Salaam (Main Campus), the Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University and the Dar es Salaam University College of Education. To obtain respondents who could be informative to this study, non-probability purposive sampling technique was employed. A sample of 55 subjects participated in the study. The study employed the qualitative approach to studying behavior in which interview, focus group discussion and documentary review were used to collect data. The results indicated that inadequate support in special education; barriers in interaction with physical and social environment and inaccessible information were the main sources of psychological problems faced by SWVIs in the universities, leading to anxiety, loneliness, aggressiveness, poor self confidence, frustration, fear and stress among SWVIs. It was also found that almost all basic counselling services were available in the studied universities but those services could not adequately address the special needs of SWVIs. The provision of counselling services to SWVIs encounters many challenges including: inadequate counselling professionalism among counsellors; counsellors’ lack of knowledge on disability issues; inadequate counselling personnel; absence of a counselling policy; counselling rooms not being user-friendly to SWVIs; inaccessible counselling information, and location of counselling offices in the areas that were not easily accessible to SWVIs. Among the recommendations given for action were the presence of counselling policy; ensuring that counselling services went hand in hand with adjustments of social, physical and educational environment and counsellors having knowledge on disability issues. The study has recommended that a similar research should be conducted on counselling services for PWVIs in other social settings such as the family, work place and lower level educational institutions.
Description
Available in printed form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF LC3969.48.T34M468)
Keywords
Conselling in special education, Vision disorders, Universities and colleges, Pyschology, Tanzania
Citation
Mgumba, B.F (2018) Access to counselling services for students with visual impairment in the selected universities in Tanzania: focus on social-psychological and educational needs.Doctoral dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.