Assessing the Right to Accessing Education to Learners with Hearing Impairment in Primary Schools in South Africa

Abstract

The right to education is enshrined in numerous international and regional legal frameworks, including treaties such as conventions, covenants, and charters, as well as in soft law instruments like general comments, recommendations, declarations, and action frameworks. The following were the objectives of this study: To explore the importance of providing inclusive education to hearing-impaired learners, To discuss the appropriateness of practices adopted in the education of hearing-impaired learners, To identify ways in which the policies of the education system can be implemented to be more inclusive for hearing-impaired learners in South Africa and To suggest guidelines that can be developed to promote access to inclusive education for learners with hearing impairment. The data for this study was collected through interviews with school inspectors, principals, and teachers. Given the qualitative nature of the study, the data was presented using themes supported by verbatim excerpts from participants. The findings indicate that participants generally recognise inclusive education as an important right for learners with hearing impairment. Across all participant groups, there was a shared understanding that inclusive education promotes equality by ensuring that learners are not excluded from mainstream schooling due to their disabilities.