SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION: A REVIEW OF LEGAL AND POLICY BASIS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN KENYA

Abstract

Disability is a natural occurrence in life. Persons with disabilities constitute 10% of world population that translates to approximately 400 million people (World Bank, 2002).In Kenya, the disabled persons are 3.3 million people of whom 60% are children under 18 years (Ndurumo, 2004). These statistics demonstrate that the population of persons with disabilities constitutes a significant proportion in any country and therefore cannot be ignored. In this study the disabled persons will be referred to as learners with special needs since the disability does not render them incapable whatsoever but implies the need to modify and adjust the education system in order to enable the challenged to profit from learning. In Kenya since independence there have been legal and policy attempts to address the plight of children with special needs in education as a response and commitment to its people as well as to the various international conventions, protocols and action plans that the country is a signatory. This paper explores the legal and policy provisions pertaining to the practice of special needs education in Kenya and attempts to identify the gaps that continue to yawn for attention in the quest of satisfying the needs of learners with special needs with respect to the attainment of the Education For All goals by 2015, Millennium Development Goals and Kenya’s vision 2030 objectives.