Managing Diversity - SpecialNeeds Education Providers

A strong network of education providers specialising in special needs training needs to be developed, alongside a database of clients living with disabilities. This information will serve the parents and caregivers of people living with disabilities. Information of this kind can be one of the most valuable things you, as a practitioner, can offer learners with disabilities, as it increases their chances of living a productive and meaningful life.

Case study

Sindi is a CDP in Limpopo who enjoys working with learners of all ages. She appreciates that many people in her community want to develop themselves in some way — some are interested in short courses on farming, others in learnerships. No two days are the same. Sindi's attention is often drawn to the small group of learners with special needs, since there is not much training available to support them, and the few providers that do exist are often out of reach. She feels that far more needs to be done to give these learners a fair chance in life, and takes it upon herself to find as much information as she can to support them. Sindi sets about creating a database of education providers so she can share this information with caregivers, parents and colleagues in other regions. She uses online resources to compile the database and plans to contact service providers directly to keep the information up to date, arranging it by province. Sindi is grateful to be working in an era where the internet and technology are such powerful tools for sourcing and storing information.

What is a database?

Databases are organised collections of structured information stored on a computer. They are controlled by software that manages how the data is structured, and the entire system — the data, the software and all associated applications — is referred to as the database system.

The most frequently used databases are modelled in columns and rows, displayed as tables. Tools such as Microsoft Excel (a spreadsheet) and Microsoft Access (a database application) both offer convenient ways to store this kind of information. Spreadsheets like Excel are simple, generally designed for a single user, and well suited to those who don't need to manage large volumes of data. Access is more robust and can support multiple users, which makes it useful for organisations that need to manage larger or shared datasets.

Gathering information on education providers for special needs

In today's connected world, information can be sourced from almost anywhere — media, personal experience, blogs, books, magazine articles, journals, expert opinion and web pages. Using the internet is a great way to start building a database.

Below are a few links to special needs education providers to help start the process of building a database:

1. https://www.gov.za/faq/education/where-can-i-find-contact-details-special-needs-schools

2. https://briefly.co.za/86113-list-special-schools-sped-schools-south-africa.html

3. https://sachild.co.za/category/special-needs-schools

4. https://www.schoolguide.co.za/schools/special-needs-schools.html

5. http://disabilityinfosa.co.za/information-desk/education-for-all/