Psychosocial Environmental Barriers to School Attendance among Children with Disabilities in Two Community Based Rehabilitation in Rwanda

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the psychosocial environmental barriers to school attendance by children with disabilities in Rwanda. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in one urban and one rural community-based rehabilitation centre. There was a sample of 94 parents or caregivers of children with disabilities who were not attending school. A structured closed-ended questionnaire was used. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (15.0 version) was used for data analysis. The data analysis included descriptive statistics as frequency distributions and percentages. The data werepresented in the forms of cross-tables. CHI-Square was used to determine the association between variables. The level of significance (alpha) was set at 0.05. The findings indicate that in Rwanda there is a negative attitude among parents/caregivers and the community towards children with disabilities. Many parents/caregivers reported that having a child with a disability is a burden and shame in their families. A great proportion of parents/caregivers also indicated that, if they needed to make a choice, they would prioritise education for their child without the disability over their child with the disability. The majority reported the special school to be their first choice for their children with disabilities. Others reported that the community gave their children different abusive names. About the teachers’ attitude, a high proportion of parents/caregivers said that the teachers told them that their children had to go to the schools for other children with disabilities. Awareness creation and attitudinal change about disability issues are needed in Rwandese society to promote schooling for children with disabilities for the successful Education for All goals.