Hornby High School, located in Kabale Municipality, appears at first glance like any other secondary school in Uganda.
However, it is home to a specialized unit dedicated to learners with visual impairments, making it the only institution in the Kigezi sub-region to specifically admit such students.
During a recent visit, visually impaired learners were observed attending lessons alongside other students and actively participating in classroom activities.
The head teacher, Aturebire George Tumusiime, said the school currently has 24 students enrolled for the first term, with 14 more expected, bringing the total to 38 visually impaired learners.
He noted that the school faces serious challenges, particularly a lack of adequate equipment.
"A single piece of specialized equipment for visually impaired learners costs about 8.8 million shillings, which makes it difficult for the school to provide enough resources," Tumusiime explained.
Marygift Niwasima, the teacher in charge of the visually impaired unit, highlighted the shortage of trained teachers who understand Braille and other communication methods used by the students.
"It becomes challenging and exhausting to interpret lessons for other teachers who are not familiar with the learners’ language," Niwasima said.
Students also shared their experiences. Phionah Komujuni and Wilson Kiza expressed appreciation for the school’s efforts and said that advancements in technology have greatly improved their learning.
However, they noted ongoing difficulties, including the lack of specialized teachers for certain subjects and technical issues caused by Kabale’s cold weather, which can affect typing machines and disrupt lessons.
"We appeal to the government to intervene and allocate a special budget to support us as visually impaired learners so that our educational needs can be adequately met," the students said.
Hornby High School has a total enrollment of 527 students, of which 38 are visually impaired learners, highlighting the school’s crucial role in inclusive education in the region.
