Inclusion of Learners with Hearing Impairment in Selected West Pokot County Primary Schools, Kenya

Background This paper explores the role of collaborative partnerships in enabling inclusion of learners with hearing impairment in west pocket. The right to an inclusive education for all is a fundamental human right. As stipulated the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR. (UNESCO 2010). Education Inclusion is an approach that challenges exclusionary policies and practices to address learning needs of all learners equitably in regular schools and classrooms. Education for all encompass the inclusion of all types of learners in a single learning environment. Regular schools with this inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes creating welcoming environments, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all. Learners with Hearing Impairment (LWHI) are entitled to free, quality, equitable and compulsory primary education. However, this right is still far from being attained in some parts of Kenya as LWHIcontinues to face exclusion from and within schools in West Pokot County. Exclusion occurs when LWHI do not enroll or drop out of school. This derails the Kenyan government„s achievement of Inclusive Education (IE) and attainment of Universal Basic Education by the year 2030. This study, sought to explore stakeholders „collaborative partnerships in enabling inclusion of LWHI in selected West Pokot primary schools. Methodology The study adopted a qualitative approach, underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, and employed a phenomenological research design. Non-probability sampling technique was adopted to select the participants. Individual semistructured interview, focus group discussion and drawing were used to generate the qualitative data from seven Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers, five parents, four head teachers, one Education Assessment and Resource Centre Officer (EARC), two County Disability officers (CDOs), and five Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs). Trustworthiness was observed to ensure credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability of the research study. Analysis of data was done using thematic analysis and discussions done per the research objectives. Results The findings showed that there was limited stakeholder collaborative partnerships, an aspect that heightened exclusion of LWHI from education in selected West Pokot County primary schools. Stakeholder attitudes, relationships and how they perform their roles determined the nature of stakeholders „collaborative partnership. The participants „experiences of collaborative partnerships revealed barriers which hindered collaborativepartnershipsand enablers whichenhanced the collaboration. Participants further emphasized the necessity for stakeholders „collaborative partnerships to be supported. They suggested that this could be done by ensuring awareness creation to all stakeholders on Special Needs Education. Conclusion Inclusive education is yet to be embraced in Kenyan rural schools and parents are yet to come out of the cultural cocoons‟ and embrace education of hearing impaired learners.Teachers and education officers need to improve their professional practice by working collaboratively with parents and other educational stakeholders so as to share, enrich and address educational problems hampering the inclusion of LWHI. KEY WORDS, Inclusion, Disability, Acceptability, Non-discrimination, Accessibility -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 08-04-2020 Date of Acceptance: 23-04-2020 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------