WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
EFFECTS OF INADEQUATE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN THE REHABILITATION OF PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED OF PRIMARY PUPILS OF PANKSHIN SPECIAL SCHOOL

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

Since the 2010’s the pursuit of recreation has been growing increasingly, as there has

been recognition of individuals needs for means to recreate. In referring specifically to the Nigerian situation, the experience of recreation could lead to benefits such as the enhancement of physical and mental well-being and ethnic values; facilitation of integration by breaking down social barriers and improvement of quality of life. Almost 10 years later, the belief is still upheld. It proposes that the potential of recreation is “to promote ethnic harmony, leadership opportunities and the development of a healthy society” and encourages recreational participation as it is empowering to pupils with disabilities. Recreational sports are forms of physical recreation which appears to be a vital facet in a pupil’s quality of life. Recreation has always been a part of lives of all people, race, nation and creed. In many cases, people have spent their leisure hours in constructive and worthwhile manner by participating in activities such as music, dances, games, sports, paintings, fishing and other arts. In early history Nigerians left evidences of their pursuits.

Recreation is a wide range of activities acceptable to the society in which people voluntarily engage in during their leisure time because of the satisfaction they receive from doing it. Those activities are also referred to as pursuits. Recreation are activities one voluntarily engages in, and voluntarily withdraws from during one’s hours for the purposes of refreshment of the body and soul.

It is important that pupils with disabilities are encouraged and that opportunities are created for them to fully participate in all the physical recreational activities so that they can develop qualities and skills to personally empower themselves. This in effect will enhance their self-perception and broaden their perception of accessibility. It is important that pupils with disabilities involve in the recreational programmes. Recreational sport is viewed as sport that is played on a social basis. In 2015 recreational sports such as dance, aquatics, mountaineering/hiking, judo, badminton, aerobics, softball and hockey, were made available by Nigerian Minstry of Sports.

            Rehabilitation in the context of this study is a set of measures that assist individuals who experience, or are likely to experience, disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with their environments. A distinction is sometimes made between habilitation, which aims to help those who acquire disabilities congenitally or early in life to develop maximal functioning; and rehabilitation, where those who have experienced a loss in function are assisted to regain maximal functioning. In this study, the term “rehabilitation covers both types of intervention. Although the concept of rehabilitation is broad, not everything to do with disability can be included in the term. Rehabilitation targets improvements in individual functioning say, by improving a person’s ability to eat and drink independently. Rehabilitation also includes making changes to the individual’s environment for example, by installing recreational facilities. But barrier removal initiatives at societal level, such as fitting a swing to a public building, are not considered rehabilitation in this study. Rehabilitation reduces the impact of a broad range of health conditions. Typically, rehabilitation occurs for a specific period of time but can involve single or multiple interventions delivered by an individual or a team of rehabilitation workers, and can be needed from the acute or initial phase immediately following recognition of a health condition through to post-acute and maintenance phases. Rehabilitation involves identification of a person’s and the environment, defining rehabilitation goals, planning and implementing the measures, and assessing the effects. Educating people with disabilities is essential for developing knowledge and skills for self-help, care, management, and decision making. People with disabilities and their families experience better health and functioning when they are partners in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation provided along a continuum of care ranging from hospital care to rehabilitation in the community can improve health outcomes, reduce costs by shortening hospital stays, reduce disability, and improve hospital stay, reduce disability, and improve quality of life. Rehabilitation need not expensive. Rehabilitation is cross-sectoral and may be carried out by health professionals in conjunction with specialists in education, employment, social welfare, and other field. In resource-poor contexts it may involve non-specialist workers for example, community based rehabilitation workers in addition to family, friends and community groups rehabilitation that begins early produces better functional outcomes for almost all health conditions associated with disability.

In health, any loss or abnormality of physiological, psychological, or anatomical structure or function, whether permanent or temporary. Identifying impairments that contribute to disability, a functional problem for a patient, is a key factor for a health professional to determine appropriate treatment. A disability is any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or interact with the world around them. These conditions, or impairments, may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Impairments causing disability may be present from birth or occur during a person’s lifetime. Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Disability is thus not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Disability is a contested concept, with different meanings in different communities. The term disability may be used to refer to physical or mental attributes that some institutions, particularly medicine, view as needing to be fixed (the medical model); it may also refer to limitations imposed on people by the constraints of an ableist society (the social model); or the term may serve to refer to the identity of disabled people. Physiological functional capacity (PFC) is a measure of an individual’s performance level that gauges one’s ability to perform the physical tasks of daily life and the ease with which these tasks are performed. PFC declines with advancing age to result in frailty, cognitive disorders, or physical disorders, all of which may lead to labeling individuals as disabled.

• Statement of the Problem

Challenges confronting the rehabilitation of physically challenged individuals in conventional schools and special schools has relatively alarming proportions in the last few years. The outcome of our special educational system has fallen below the minimal for our educational objectives and this means that there is a failure in our curriculum, facility provision, our teachers and teaching method or our evaluation system. Rehabilitating all physically challenged children at this time of economic meltdown presents a significant challenge due to the large number of physically challenged children, especially in a developing country like Nigeria, where planning always posed a problem. Recreational facilities that are deteriorated and inadequate may result in reduced rehabilitation of physically challenged children, low staff morale, lack of technology proficiency, safety hazards, high rates of teacher attrition, and a reduced ability to meet special needs.

Therefore, this scenario of inadequate recreational facilities in special schools poses a serious challenge to rehabilitation of physically challenged children. This is what has motivated the researcher to examine the effects of inadequate recreational facilities in the rehabilitation of physically challenged pupils in primary 3 in Special School in Pankshin Local Government Area.

• Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this research is to examine the effects of inadequate recreational facilities in the rehabilitation of physically challenged pupils in primary 3 in Special School in Pankshin Local Government Area. In the light of this, the specific objectives of the research include:

1. To determine the recreational facilities which are available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area
2. To examine the effects of recreational facilities on the rehabilitation of physically challenged children available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area
3. To examine the effects of inadequate recreational facilities on the rehabilitation of physically challenged children available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area.
4. To examine the causes of inadequate recreational facilities in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.4. Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide this study.

1. What are the recreational facilities which are available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area?
2. What are the effects of recreational facilities on the rehabilitation of physically challenged children available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area?
3. What are the effects of inadequate recreational facilities on the rehabilitation of physically challenged children available in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area?
4. What are the causes of inadequate recreational facilities in special school in Pankshin Local Government Area?

1.5. Significance of the study

It is believed that one of the life wires of any special educational system is the extent of availability of recreational facilities (in terms of quality and quantity) which occupies a crucial place in the rehabilitation of its goals. However, the result of the findings in this research work shall assist every stakeholder (policy makers, school administrators, teachers, government and the physically challenged learners) in playing a sensitive role aimed at improving the standard of special education through the provision of adequate recreational facilities for physically challenge.

First, policy makers will be well equipped with reliable and factual information which serves as an input for effective law making on issues relating to allocation of funds, timely released period and the legal framework guiding its activities.

Secondly, it will provide an extensive knowledge of the importance of recreational facilities and the role of the school administrators to initiate, sustain and put to use.

Furthermore, teachers as major stakeholders in the special school system, who play an intermediate role, seek to work harmoniously with the school in encouraging the physically challenged learners to use recreational facilities. It will also place a great burden on the government to provide adequate funding to the special education system, equipped the inspectorate unit to carry out its functions effectively.

Finally, when this study is completed, it will serve as a reference material to future researchers and add to the already existing body of literature on recreational facilities and rehabilitation. It will further afford other researchers to look into grey areas not covered in the present study and seek ways of improving over it.

• Delimitation of the Study

This study covers the effects of inadequate recreational facilities in the rehabilitation of physically challenged of primary 3 pupils of special schools. The study is restricted to Special School, Pankshin in Pankshin Local Government Area. However, despite the fact that the study is limited to the selected local government area, its findings can be generalized to other parts of the state as well as the country at large.

• Operational Definition of Terms

Recreation: are those activities in which a person participates during hours other than work.

Accessibility refers not only to the access and mobility but rather defined as the “ability to

participate” eliminating the constraints to participation, view accessibility as avoiding as many barriers as possible that prevent participation.

Recreation: Recreation is the ability to restore mind, body and soul and is commonly linked with restoration offering refreshment.

Rehabilitation: a set of measures that assist individuals who experience, or are likely to experience, disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with their environments.

Recreational Sports: are forms of recreation involving physical activity whereby the participant

may be involved on either a casual or regular basis. It aims at improving physical fitness and

psychological well-being, which in turn contributes to the formation of social relationships.