An Assesment On The Awareness Of Hiv! Aids Issues Among The Deaf In Secondary School, A Case Study Of Wakiso School Of The Deaf

ABSTRACT

The study was intended to conduct an assessment on the awareness of HIV/AIDS issues among

the deaf students, a case study of Wakiso School of the deaf. The study was justified by the need

to identif~’ and provide mechanisms of operation that can guide the behavior of deaf students to

enable the control of HIV/AIDS amongst the deaf.

The study explored the information pertaining the background of the study that gave an insight

on the global, international, continental, county and local perspective of documented literature

about the topic with the purpose of conducting an assessment on the awareness of HIV/ AIDS

issues the study was guided by research objectives that included examining what the deaf

students of Wakiso School of the deaf know about HIV/ AIDS, establishing the attitudes of the

deaf students towards HIV/ AIDS and infected people and examining the role of teachers in

HIV/ AIDS advocacy for the children.

The research was conducted for a period of 2 months in Wakiso School of the deaf, located in

central Uganda, Wakiso district, Kakyiri sub-county the study was significant as it identified the

level of knowledge that the deaf students of wakiso have on HIV/ AIDS, established gaps that

exist on HIV/ AIDS awareness in schools, providing information that was a basis of government

intervention and academic award by the researcher.

Data collection involved 60 respondents that included teachers, students and non teaching staffs

who were engaged using a questionnaire, the study conducted involved use of qualitative and

quantitative data approaches that identified some key emerging issues such as lack of timetable

for HIV/AIDS education to deaf students because it isn’t incorporated in the curriculum.

The key findings were that a reasonable number of respondents agreed that students get

HIV/AIDS education though it was not often, parents too provide information and that there are

various sources of information about HIV which the respondents contend are not reliable. This

prompted the researcher to made the recommendations that included including HIV education in

curriculum, including its teaching on school time table and sensitizing parents on the nature of

HIV/AIDS that will enable them to inform their deaf children to ensure awareness about the scourge