Report
This publication is the result of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH) Inclusive Education study in Nepal and Uganda of an often-overlooked group of learners with a disability, namely, those who are hard of hearing. The study focused on the requirements of hard of hearing learners in Nepal and Uganda in mainstream education settings. Through qualitative methodology, it explored the perspectives of four respondent groups (parents/caregivers, hard of hearing learners, teachers, and decision-makers and stakeholders) on the key factors that facilitated or inhibited the implementation of inclusive education at the local level in both countries.
Major levels of education were covered by all respondent groups. Private and public schools were also taken into consideration. The study looked into the issues of early rehabilitation of hard of hearing learners, access to hearing aids and assistive technologies, availability of support services, accessibility and inclusivity of learning. In total, 82 respondents were interviewed through the use of a structured extensive interview guide that contained a set of straightforward sequential questions with multiple choice and open answer options. Interview tools were similar for each set of respondents in each country but differed in specific aspects adapted for the local context (e.g. education system). The results demonstrated, on the one hand, the relative invisibility of the needs of hard of hearing learners in educational policies, and, on the other hand, discrepancies between the inclusive education policy provisions and practice in both countries. Collected evidence confirmed that hard of hearing children and young people face challenges in mainstream education mainly as a result of the lack of knowledge about their rehabilitation, access and communication requirements, and lack of trained resources in education and public health sectors.