Psychological Dispositions of Anxiety among Learners with Visual Impairment: A Study of High School for the Blind, Thika
Mrs. Anne Wanjiru Mbugua, Dr. Florence K’Okul

Abstract
The study sought to investigate the psychological dispositions of anxiety among learners with visual impairment. The study proceeded from the idea that available literature on visual impairment reveal that students with such a disability experience test anxiety at higher rates than their peers. Using High School for the Blind Thika as its case study, this study examined the nature and manifestations of anxiety among students with visual impairment, identified and analysed differences in psychological dispositions and examine the measures that need to be put in place to accommodate visually impaired learners and to lower the anxieties. The target population for this study was students at Thika High School for the Blind. The researcher employed stratified random sampling technique in choosing the participants from the four stratums. Brailled and Large Print Questionnaires and interviews were used as methods of data collection. Data from the field was cleaned, coded and entered in readiness for analysis using SPSS version 17. Findings from the study showed that visually impaired students experience anxiety at different levels and this affects their psychological stability, makes them unable to concentrate on their students and in some cases, feel neglected and unappreciated. These findings are useful to the education stakeholders, Ministry of Education, Parents, Non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders involved in the education of learners with visual impairment in Kenya and beyond.

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