Navigating Learning for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) in South Africa: Barriers and Recommendations

Approximately 3.5 million Persons With Disabilities (PWD), comprising 6.6% of the population live in South Africa. In South Africa, PWDs are confronted with challenges rooted in historical power imbalances and amplified by social and economic inequalities. Among these issues, the barriers to learning for learners with special educational needs (LSEN) are of particular concern. The purpose of the paper is to provide mitigation strategies for learning barriers encountered by LSEN in South Africa. The paper was guided by a qualitative integrative review (IR) research methodology. The findings highlighted various obstacles identified in research conducted at both global and national levels, including insufficient educator training, resource deficiencies, limited policy implementation, and challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, South Africa’s educational framework, adapted from similar contexts, presents unique hurdles. By elucidating these findings, recommendations are made to mitigate these challenges through special educational needs, social context, and technology training, transformed curriculum and the introduction of class assistants. Moreover, specialised support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is advocated for and increased psychosocial and parental support is encouraged. The findings also propose the reinstatement of vocational-related school subjects for LSEN. This paper makes a meaningful contribution to the field of special education in South Africa by identifying the challenges encountered by LSEN and proposing viable solutions to address them. Keywords: Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN), Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Learning Barriers, Learners, COVID-19