THE ROLE OF ADMINISTRATORS IN PROVIDING SECONDARY TRANSITION SERVICES TO STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: EVIDENCE FROM MULTAN DIVISION, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to prove the role of school administrators in providing secondary transition services to the visual impaired students in the Multan Division Pakistan. Secondary transition services also play a key role in preparing students with disabilities to go forth and live their lives after school, in terms of higher education, employment, and their own independent living. Based on a census sample where 16 leaders and 48 teaching professionals in state-owned special education institutions were selected, the study took the form of a quantitative survey, using a standardized instrument based on Parrish (2006). Descriptive statistics, independent economic t test, and ANOVA were used to determine the perception, the current practice about the provisions of services, and the effect of the demographic characteristics on service provisions among administrators. The results show that the administrators are by and large aware of their responsibilities in referring, carrying out requisite assessments and coordinating with external agencies. However, the areas of interagency coordination, access to vocational training, and professional development of the staff members were found to be vastly inadequate. The study highlights the necessity of specific policy changes and enhancements to administrative training routines as well as allotment of more resources towards proper transition planning of the youth with visual impairments. These contributions provide the current background of research in the sphere of inclusive education leadership and provide viable recommendations to implement such concepts in Pakistan and other developing countries.