Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that contribute to the challenges faced by students with visual impairments who are enrolled in the Bachelor of Education degree at Unisa. The white paper emanating from the South African National Development Plan: 2030 Vision, states how career counselling should be an integral part of the post-school system for both open, distance and e-learning (ODeL) and contact universities. Based on this rationale, our study seeks to understand how career counselling contributes to the success of students with visual impairments in their chosen career. The College of Education at Unisa has the more number of students enrolled for teaching qualifications and students with visual impairments are part of this group. Literature shows that most of the students with disabilities choose qualifications based on their disabilities and not on their interests. The study employed connective and affective theories to solicit information from participants regarding the phenomenon being explored. The population of the study consisted of registered students with visual impairments from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews from a sample of seven registered students in the College of Education at Unisa. Interview questions were sent to students electronically for accessibility and some students were interviewed telephonically as per their request. The results reveal that students do not use counseling services and that there is lack of support and effective communication.