Teaching Of Mathematics To The Visually Impaired- The Use Of Abacuses

One of the barriers to the education of learners with visual impairments (VI), appear to be the stigma attached to the presence of disabilities (Nganwa, 2017). This belief appeared to have adversely affected the curriculum of learners with VI. Some subjects such as Mathematics and Sciences were not being offered to them. This research however, was determined to reaffirm or negate such a theory. The extent to which persons with VI could be learning Mathematics was to be investigated through their teachers’ capabilities. The guiding research question was: to what extent can teachers teach Mathematics to learners with VI? The study anchored so much on Howard Gardner’s theory, which argued that ‘some types of learning’ (Kendra, 2023), appeared to be specific. That is, the traditional methods of using the chalk and blackboard could simply not work, instead, the tactile strategies needed to be exploited. The Abacus is the assistive devices highly recommended for teaching the LVI. This study was a mixed concurrent research design. It combined quasi-experiments and a survey. The sample population was 126, of which 100 was for the survey (60 teachers, 24 lecturers & 16 Ministry Officers), and 26 for the quasi-experiments (17 teachers, 3 lecturers & 6 LVI). The respondents were tested in Mathematics for elementary grades with the use of the Abacus. On average, they scored 20% and 69% at pre-test and post- test respectively, suggesting that Abacus methods could be greatly relied upon. The results suggests that it was the effective training of teachers that had been lacking, and not the VI disability in itself. The results also implied that LVI could also learn sciences, and other related subjects. The solution lied in Adapted Maths as a distinct specialised area. This shall attract more support.