Over the past fifteen years the integration of students with impairments from "special schools" into
regular schools has been common practice in most western countries. Here in South Africa, the
policy of integration is only just beginning to be formally legislated and implemented. One such
integration project is currently underway in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The initiative, organised
between Clare Estate School and Dr. A. D. Lazarus Secondary, began in 1992. This study
investigates the experiences of nine students with physical impairments. They form a part of a
group of fourteen students presently integrated into Dr. A. D. Lazarus Secondary. The experiences
of the students are examined from the perspectives of the students themselves, their teachers and
their parents. All the differing viewpoints were gathered through semi-structured interviews and
observation. As a framework within which to analyse the findings, a social model of disability was
explored. The social model advocates that people have impairments and not disabilities. A
disability arises when environmental factors exacerbate the existence of an impairment. The factors
which could exacerbate impairment within the school setting range from physical inaccessibility to
overdependency in an environment designed solely for able-bodied people. An environmental
obstacle that hinders a person with an impairment is referred to as a 'disabling barrier.' The study
revealed that unpreparedness for integration can result in many 'disabling-barriers' within the
school context. These obstacles create hindrances not just for the students with impairments but
for all students, teachers and parents. The researcher identified the disabling-barriers in order to
highlight the many challenges that face the school. It was hoped that by gathering information,
predominantly from the perspective of students with physical impairments, one is able to evaluate
the experiences from their own personal perspectives. Furthermore, both the schools involved in
the project are challenged into turning the identified "disabling-barriers" into more enabling
environments for students with physical impairments. Finally, looking beyond integration towards
an inclusive system of education is the ultimate challenge recommended for this particular context. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1996.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/3107 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Persad, Nadira Sonali. |
| Contributors | Muthukrishna, Anbanithi. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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