Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that contribute to the challenges faced by students with visual impairments who are enrolled Bachelor of Education in 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 eLEarning (ODeL) and contact Universities. It is based on this rationale that our study seeks to understand how career counselling contributes to the success of students with visual impairment in their chosen career. The college of education at Unisa have the largest number of students enrolled for the teaching qualifications and the students with visual impairments are part of those numbers. Literature shows that most of the students with disabilities choose qualifications based on their disabilities and not on their interest. The study employed connective and affective theories to solicit information from participants with regards the phenomenon being explored. The population of the study consisted of registered students with visual impairments from Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu 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 collected data was coded into themes to get more clarity on responses. The results revealed that students do not use counselling services and there is lack of support and effective communication from lecturers. The findings will contribute to the development and implementation of strategies to retain and enhance student success for students with visual impairments in the College of Education at Unisa.

Keywords:

Career Choice, visual impairment, Open Distance and e-learning, Student Success.