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A survey of challenges, opportunities and threats faced by students with disabilities in the post independent era of Zimbabwe
Compiled by Chiparaushe Booker, Mapako Obert and Makarau Arthur of University of Zimbabwe Disability Resource Centre, for the Students Solidarity Trust
February 14, 2011

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Abstract

This research was carried out with the main aim of bringing out the challenges, opportunities and threats faced by students with disabilities and conditions who are enrolled in institutions of higher education in Zimbabwe. The study covered three provinces namely Harare, Bulawayo and Midlands targeting all universities, both teachers' and technical colleges in these respective provinces. To collect data the researchers used questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussions. The questionnaires targeted administrators, lecturers and students with disabilities and conditions while interviews and focus group discussions were aimed at capturing data from students with disabilities and conditions. The data collected was analyzed using (SPSS) method and the results were presented in form of tables and pie -charts. The population was composed of 103 students with disabilities and conditions, 9 administrators and 11 lecturers which make a total of 123 participants. The sample had 50 students with disabilities and conditions, 20 both administrators and lecturers making a total of 70 participants.

Main findings from the study

• Inaccessibility of buildings for example lecture theatres or rooms, halls of residence, toilets and tubs thereby disadvantaging greatly those students who are physically challenged;
• Shortage of equipment and materials for example Perkins Braille machines, Pac-Mates, Tape Recorders, brailed textbooks or reading materials for the visually impaired students;
• The majority of students with disabilities fall under the category of the visual impaired;
• Offices of Vice Chancellors, Pro-Vice Chancellors and Registrar in majority of state universities are not accessible to students in wheel chairs;
• In all tertiary education institutions the majority if not all lecturers in post have no formal training in handling students with disabilities;
• In natural sciences and technical subjects there is lack and in some institutions un-availability of trained lecturers to teach students with disabilities;
• Most institutions of higher learning discourage and or marginalize students with disabilities who intend to pursue natural sciences;
• At A-level, of which the A-level qualification is used as entrance at universities, fewer disabled students who would have passed O-level choose sciences subjects. Additionally disabled students generally perform badly in sciences;
• Donations by well wishers and support by the international community to students with disabilities have dwindled in the past decade due to Zimbabwe's sour relations with countries in the West;
• There is lack of programmes to sensitize able-bodied students and other college/university staff that is not directly involved with students with disabilities on the needs and plight of students with disabilities;
• In most tertiary education institutions there are no waiver of tuition fees, no special budgets and no affirmative action to aid students with disabilities;
• Study findings reveal that all institutions of higher learning are not mainstreaming HIV and AIDS issues in programmes for students with disabilities. There is lack of peer counseling, lack of HIV and AIDS promotional material available in a format accessible to various categories of students with disabilities;
• Visually impaired students faced mobility problems as information of changes in the environment like digging of trenches is not communicated to them, further cars parked in undesignated areas, obstacles such as chairs left on their paths, open doors in corridors present everyday challenges in their mobility hence the need for able-bodied students sensitization programmes;
• Visually impaired students also had challenges accessing communication pasted on notice boards in print;
• For students with Albinism their main concern was inability to read lecture notes on chalkboards during lectures and also failure to read notices on notice boards due to their short-sightedness. Also these students are not provided with their special skin lotions to protect them from sun burns. On sports the main findings were that there was the lack of specially trained instructors to cater for students with disabilities and conditions.

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