Sibling relationships are dynamic within any family context and disabilities add a different and even more complex dimension to a family context. In addition, inclusion is a relatively new concept in South Africa, especially as an inclusive society. This means that it is challenging for a family that has children with disabilities to live and function in the greater society as children with disabilities have specialised needs and expectations. However, siblings of children with disabilities have their own needs and expectations as participating individuals within a family context and within society; therefore it is of relevance to be fully aware of their personal views, perceptions, understanding and challenges they are confronted with. The primary aim of this study was to gain a rich and in-depth understanding of how the disabilities of a child could impact on a non-disabled sibling. With the above mentioned taken into account, siblings of children with disabilities are faced with an array of unique challenges that may change as the siblings develop, therefore, this study focused on siblings who are in their middle childhood phase (six to twelve years old). Qualitative research methods were applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the children‘s experiences and views. The review of the literature provided the theoretical framework against which the qualitative research was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were constructed from the comprehensive literature review. Observations and documents were also used as research instruments to collect descriptive and supportive data. Interpretations were made from the data collected. The literature review exposed and recognised variances regarding sibling experiences about living with children with disabilities. Five information rich participants were interviewed. The findings of this empirical investigation revealed that not all the siblings identified the same experiences as shared experiences of being siblings to children with disabilities. Therefore, it is recommended that the challenges these siblings are faced with should be taken into account since it has been revealed that there seems to be a need to support these siblings and their families. The whole family is a nested system interacting with each other, within the family system and with other systems beyond the family system, including the wider community and society. Thus, siblings need regular, understandable and updated information as they grow up, regarding the challenges the families are faced with, pertaining to the disabilities experienced, within this nested system. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

For physically challenged students, inequalities in further education begin with inequalities that have shaped the whole schooling system in South Africa. The limited provision that exists for physically challenged students at further education and training colleges in KwaZulu-Natal Province, especially black physically challenged students, means that for these students there is a very high level of exclusion from the education system. Many students with physical challenges still need an ally even in their basic accommodation. The focus of this research was on exploring challenges experienced by physically challenged students at “Mango” (pseudonym) Further Education and Training College in KwaZulu-Natal Province. That investigation was conducted in terms of the availability of resources for physically challenged students at Further Education and Training Colleges, the use of learner support services, accessibility of buildings for these students and the roles played by parents of physically challenged students at Further Education and Training Colleges in KwaZulu-Natal Province. This study was therefore designed to explore not only the challenges experienced by physically challenged students at Mango FET College in KwaZulu-Natal Province, but also their experiences and responses to such challenges. This research study was conducted with students who were physically challenged and their lecturers from Mango FET College in KwaZulu-Natal Province. The sample of the population included six participants who were physically challenged students and four participants who were lecturers teaching physically challenged students at Mango FET College. Furthermore, participants comprised both females and males who were doing different levels at the college, i.e. NQF level two, NQF level three and NQF level four students. The research study sought to explore the challenges experienced by such physically challenged students at Mango FET College in KwaZulu-Natal Province in order for the college to meet these students’ academic needs. Observations and semi-structured interviews were the main data-collection tools used in the study. Results from the current research study indicated that inaccessibility of buildings, lack of resources for physically challenged students, inadequate support from student support services and the college represented major barriers to the success of the physically challenged students at Mango FET College in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Moreover, although student support services are available, the entire college population, students and staff alike, should all be responsible for creating an inclusive environment where students with physical challenges can experience a sense of community and attitudes of embracing diversity and accommodating differences. The responsibility thus lies with all relevant role players of Mango FET College in KwaZulu-Natal Province who must work together to overcome social and academic barriers; to accommodate physically challenged students properly, provide them with accessible buildings, encourage parents to assist physically challenged students, endeavour to meet their academic, social and emotional needs and assist them to develop academically. In future, progress can be made through the increased coordination of student support services, building accessible buildings with ramps for physically challenged students, and providing adequate resources for these students. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

South Africa has recently made a significant move towards support for deaf learners in inclusive education settings. Educators in inclusive classrooms are considered primary resources for the development of the strengths and competencies of these learners. Successful inclusion of deaf learners often depends on the skills of classroom educators. Nevertheless, educators often have little or no knowledge regarding support for deaf learners in inclusive classrooms. The experiences of deaf learners were investigated in order to understand the unique needs of these learners. The aim of the research was to add bottom-up approaches to the range of curriculum adaptations necessary to support deaf high school learners within inclusive education in South Africa. A mixed methods approach was employed, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a triangulation research design. The findings that emanated from the quantitative research served to complement the findings from the qualitative study. The results of the empirical study were supported by the literature review to formulate practical guidelines for assisting educators to accommodate the curriculum in order to support deaf learners. These guidelines might enable educators to respond positively to the needs of deaf learners and ensure that their inclusion in the regular school is successful. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Much research on the educators' perceptions of and attitudes towards inclusive education has been conducted both in South Africa and abroad. What is absent in this literature is an acknowledgement of the socially constructed nature of teachers' responses to inclusive education and its recipients. In this study, the talk of educators involved in piloting inclusive education is compared to that of educators who are not involved, in order to determine the discourses from which educators draw in their construction of inclusive education. It is a comparative study premised on the social constructionist perspective in which discourse analysis was employed. The sample was drawn from schools piloting inclusive education in the East London District of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa and was compared with schools not involved in the pilot, but in the same area. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with eight educators spread across two piloting and two non piloting schools. The analysis revealed significant similarities and quite minimal differences in the manner in which educators across the two settings construct their experiences of inclusive education. Even though the educators draw on the rights driven anti-discriminatory discourse, they still embrace the special needs/medical/expertise and charity discourses. These discourses construct disability around notions of disputed degrees of impairment, feared status and perceptions of disability as a personal issue rather than a public responsibility, and they undermine the status of people with a disability while supporting notions of dependency. In this article, I will argue that the historical legacy within which these discourses were originally constructed, will essentially continue unless there is a change in how diversity is viewed.

Thesis (MEd (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The focus of this research study is on learning support to learners in rural schools as experienced by learning support professionals and teachers in order to identify best-practices and the obstacles experienced in this regard. It was envisaged that continuous exploration of current practices could assist in identifying ways to support the development of inclusive education. The research questions to address this aspect were: What is the nature of learning support in rural schools as experienced by teachers? and What is the nature of learning support in rural schools as experienced by learning support professionals? The aim of this study was therefore to explore and describe the nature of learning support in rural schools, in order to make some recommendations to learning support professionals, teachers and education authorities to ensure the effective development and implementation of learning support strategies in rural schools. The research study was conducted from a qualitative approach, utilising explorative, descriptive and contextual research designs. Purposive sampling was employed and data saturation determined the sample size. The findings were based on a structured analysis framework. Ethical aspects included informed consent, voluntary participation and confidentiality

M.Ed. / According to the investigations conducted by the National Commission of Special Needs Education and Training (NCSNET) and the National Committee on Education Support Services (NCESS) in South African schools, the findings were that: Firstly, only the minority group benefited in both physical and human resources. The specialised education and support were predominantly provided on racial basis for whites only. Secondly, the government can no more fund these schools. Thirdly, learners with disability want to be out of the cocoon. The purpose of this research was to find out how people in the education system, namely parents, educators and learners in "special" and "mainstream/developed" schools in Soweto perceive inclusion. Since is qualitative research, the researcher interviewed, observed and recorded educators (heads, deputies or HODs) and 4 parents from three different types of special schools, namely Sizwile School for deaf and dumb children, Adelaide Tambo School for the physically disabled and Philip Khushlik School for Cerebral Palsied children. She then interviewed 2 learners, one from J.C. Merkin School for quadriplegic learners and one from Dominican Convent High School. The findings of this research effort suggest that disabled learners do not want to be kept in bedrooms because they feel isolated, excluded and discriminated against. They need to be part of the community. They need a step ahead, a brighter future so that they can plough back something into the community.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / The White paper 6 advocates the introduction of inclusive education in all public schools in South Africa, where all learners irrespective of their abilities, would have to be taught together.That leaves educators with the biggest challenges. Among others, the educators must change their method of teaching in order to be able to deal with multi-lingual and multi-cultural classrooms. Moreover, educators are expected to change their attitudes and perception on learners with special educational needs. In addition, they should be reskilled to serve as managers, counsellors and consultants. However, in South Africa there is no single model that could be used to address all the challenges left by the legacy of apartheid in public primary schools. The purpose of this study is to contribute and add to the existing body of knowledge on the challenges facing educators in implementing inclusive education. In order to accomplish this aim, the main endeavour is to reveal the biggest challenges facing educators in implementing inclusive education in public primary schools and to highlight the implications of inclusive education in schools. The researcher used the critical qualitative action research approach to probe eight educators and school principals regarding their training, whether they have the necessary skills to deal with the implementation of inclusive education in their mainstream schools and probing them about effective models of inclusion that are applicable to their schools. The research sample was randomly selected from two public primary schools in Gauteng Province in District 011. Interviews, classroom observation and closed questionnaires were used as instruments of obtaining relevant data. In this study, interaction schedules, coupled with other data processes such as inductive analysis and verifications were used to analyze data. Data collected was catergorise into themes and comparisons were made on patterns that appeared and reappeared during this study. The research study revealed that, there is a need for a change or shift from traditional practice to new paradigms where teachers as reflective practitioners, are expected to take a closure, critical look at their way of teaching, as dictated by the new curriculum. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is a need for a shift from a medical model to a understanding system located within an understanding of barriers to learning. Secondly, perceptions of educators on learners with barriers should change. Furthermore, there is a need of giving learners extra support so that they can fit or be integrated into the mainstream classrooms. Moreover, assessment should cater for diverse needs of all learners and very crucial, there should be a shift from pedagogy of exclusion to a pedagogy of possibilities that takes into consideration barriers to learning, different intelligences and learning styles. In order for the implementation of inclusive education to take place smoothly in public primary schools, the researcher recommended that: schools should develop effective partnership with parents, organizations and other community stakeholders. The Department of education in conjunction with schools should embark on an advocacy campaign. Furthermore, the Department of education should strengthen the site-based support teams (SBST) and ensure that educators receive quality training in inclusive education for human resource development and lastly, the Department should ensure that special schools are strengthened as resource centres.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Community and Continuing Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Access and support for students with disabilities remain limited despite strong legislative and policy framework for addressing inclusivity in the education sector. Presently, TVET colleges encounter severe obstacles and hiccups in that they must improve the quality of education provided together with other compulsory obligations. As a result, TVET col-leges continue to encounter challenges as and when they try to improve the quality of education. In South Africa, the integration of people with disabilities has been an ongoing process since the advent of the democratic government. The study investigated the inte-gration of inclusive practices for students with disabilities at Technical and Vocational Edu-cation and Training (TVET) colleges. The study followed the qualitative research ap-proach. The purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. Twenty-seven participants took part in the study. Participants comprised campus man-agers, HoDs, student support officers, lecturers and students with disabilities. Two differ-ent methods to analyse data were used, namely, thematic categorisation (for interviews and observations) and content analysis (for documents). The study is premised on the social model of disability and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological system theory to understand participants’ views and how they carry out inclusive practices in their lecture rooms. Data was collected using three techniques, namely, interviews, observations and document analysis. The findings of the study revealed the following: lecturers at TVET colleges are struggling to support students with disabilities due to lack of training on different types of disabilities; students with disabilities are given access to certain types of training based on the nature of their disability; students who experience mobility disabilities are faced with challenges of inaccessible of physical environments; the curriculum at TVET col-leges does not fully cater for a range of diverse needs of and students with impairments. The study recommends that: lecturers require training on different types of disabilities in order to support students with diverse learning needs; the involvement of disabled stu-dents in the planning of their support programmes; all stakeholders be encouraged to appreciate change and to contribute towards meaningful inclusive practices.

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of this study was to identify teachers’ perceptions towards learners with special needs, using rural schools, Kgakotlou Circuit in Limpopo Province. The study made use of the qualitative research approach where a case study design was adopted. The population of the study was formed by teachers from five rural schools in Kgakotlou Circuit. For instance: All five schools, sampled through purposive sampling technique, participated in semi-structured and two schools participated in focus-group interview. All nine teachers were able to participate in semi-structured interview whereas only four teachers took part in the focus-group interview. From the in-depth interview a lot of information regarding areas that seem to influence teachers’ perceptions was gathered. The data provided insights to the way teachers understand inclusion, and the supports that they require in practice and how they meet classroom challenges in practice. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that teachers’ negative and positive perceptions on inclusion of learners with special needs have a significant effect on their education. The results also showed that negative perceptions influence learners’ academic performance. The study recommends that the department of education should organise an in-service training for teachers on inclusion. Keywords: inclusion in education, teachers’ perceptions, learners with special needs

Thesis (LLM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The history of the South African education system is one that is tainted by inequalities and restricted access. The Bantu educational system, with its racially separated education facilities, ensured that the black child stayed a marginalised group. Within the new constitutional dispensation, the hope existed that all students will have access to equal levels of quality education, with Section 29 of the Constitution specifically guaranteeing that everyone has the right to basic education. To repair the injustice and discriminatory practices of the past, a system of inclusive education has been introduced, with the aim of granting educational access to all children. However, it has become apparent that this system could be perpetuating a form of the injustice that it aimed to fight. Inclusive education, with the aim of making no distinction in the student body, is creating a new marginalised student: the borderline student. These are students who do not have a cognitive impairment, but have what is known as a “below average IQ”. Recent studies show that, for many of these students, the inclusive education system is failing to address their unique educational needs, limiting their participation and pushing them to the peripheral edge of the educational system. This is a complex and serious problem that needs to be addressed at a policy level. This legal-educational presentation aims to provide an exploration of the borderline student and addresses the question as to why they are falling between the cracks of the inclusive education system.