The Role of Physical Facility Management in the Education of Learners with Disabilities in the University of Bamenda

Abstract

This study sets out to assess the extent to which the management of physical facilities influences the education of learners with disabilities in the University of Bamenda. The design adopted for the study was the mixed-method design. The rationale for using this design was to create many sources for data collection so as to understand the problem under investigation from many foci. Also, qualitative data complemented quantitative data. The sampling technique adopted was the purposive sampling technique, and 163 lecturers and 15 students with disabilities were selected from five schools of the institution. The instruments for data collection were the questionnaire and the interview guide. The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis, while the quantitative data were analysed using Spearman's rho. The following findings were obtained: accessibility for the disabled, safety and security for the disabled and inclusive infrastructure significantly influence the education of students with disabilities in the University of Bamenda, with correlation coefficients of 0.874, 0.566 and 0.599, respectively. These results permit us to conclude that physical facility management plays a significant role in the education of learners with disabilities. Based on this, we propose that the institutional authorities should conduct a safety audit to identify areas of risk and develop strategies to mitigate them in order to render the teaching and learning environment inclusive.