Ong’ang’a H. M. Ouko Ouko’s scientific contributions

Family relationships are important for a child's social wellbeing. However, little is known about family relationships among the deaf, especially those in inclusive vocational settings. Deaf trainees need to be shown love and support as they move into their teenage years, just as they were younger. The purpose of the study was to identify different ways in which families support Deaf trainees in their social interactions. The study focused on St. Angela Mumias Vocational School for the Deaf and was anchored on the Theory of Mind by David Premack (1978). A case study design was adopted. The target population was 103, including 95 deaf trainees, one principal, and 7 trainers. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 3 trainers and the principal, while simple random sampling was used to select 39 deaf trainees. This study adopted a mixed-methods data collection approach. Questionnaires and semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect data. Quantitative data was coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). Descriptive data were presented in form of mean, median, mode, frequency distribution tables, graphs, pie charts, and percentages. Qualitative data were coded systematically by hand, analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The findings established that 61% of the trainees receive emotional, physical and moral support from their family members. Also, 58% agreed to freely communicate with their family members though this is mostly affected by communication barriers and stigmatisation. Based on the findings, the study recommends that existing school policies need to promote a sense of community and participatory culture where more emphasis is put on the family environment and their roles in improving the social interaction of deaf trainees.

The purpose of the study was to establish the challenges deaf trainees face in their social interactions. The study focused on St. Angela Mumias Vocational School for the Deaf, Kakamega County. The study was anchored on the Theory of Mind by David Premack (1978). A case study design was adopted. The study target was 103, including 95 deaf trainees, one principal, and 7 trainers. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 3 trainers and the principal, while simple random sampling was used to select 39 deaf trainees. This study adopted a mixed-methods data collection approach. Questionnaires comprising both open-ended and close-ended questions were used to collect data from the principal and deaf trainees. In contrast, semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect primary data from trainers. Quantitative data was coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). Descriptive data was represented in the form of mean, median, mode, correlation, frequency distribution tables, graphs, pie charts, and percentages. Qualitative data were coded systematically by hand, analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The findings revealed that only 27.8 % of deaf trainees interacted with the hearing trainees and they also do not share their problems and secrets. Based on the results, the study recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, decentralize sign language training to the villages and community settings to assist in enhancing communication between the Deaf and the hearing.