Barriers and facilitators to parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities in Wakiso district

Abstract

The study set out to investigate the barriers and facilitators to parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities in Wakiso district. The researcher was moved to carry out a study on the premise that many parents of CWDs are not adequately involved in the education of CWDs. The study objectives were: to establish the support that parents give to their children with disabilities attending school in an inclusive schools; examine the barriers that hindered parents from getting involved in the education of their children with disabilities and to identify facilitators that enabled parent to get involved in the education of children with disabilities. The study was based on Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s theory of socio-cultural and human capital. Qualitative research approach was chosen for collecting data. Methods for data collection included focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The study findings showed that parents had interest in supporting their children’s’ education through buying scholastic materials, fees and food contributions. Poverty was the major barrier to parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities. It was revealed that lack of knowledge in Braille and braille writing slates by parents; severity of the children’s’ disabilities to some extent prevented them from helping their children with homework. Conclusions drawn from the study among others include parents escorting their children with disabilities to and from school and providing for their children’s’ necessities. Similarly Recommendations include government to work with development partners to empower parents of CWDs economically.