Inclusive Education: Why universities must provide resources for visually impaired students

BY VINCENT OPARA

Education is a fundamental human right. It is the bridge to economic opportunity, social participation, and self-reliance. Yet, for many Nigerians living with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired, that bridge is riddled with gaps — gaps created by a lack of access to information resources that can make learning possible.

The provision of information in multiple formats — whether print, Braille, audio, tactile, or digital — is not just a matter of convenience. It is a necessity for inclusion. When we make information accessible to all, regardless of physical ability, we are not merely helping individuals; we are strengthening our society.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognise this link. We cannot achieve them without ensuring that everyone, including those with disabilities, has equal access to education and information.

Unfortunately, Nigeria still lags behind in this regard. The National Policy on Education (2004) and the UN Declaration of the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975) both affirm the right of people with disabilities to quality education. Yet, these commitments remain far from reality in many of our universities.

The scale of the challenge

Disability comes in many forms — mental, hearing, speech, orthopaedic, and visual impairments, among others. This discussion focuses on the visually impaired: those who are either totally blind or partially sighted. According to the Nigerian National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey (2005–2007), 4.25 million Nigerians aged 40 and above are visually impaired. More recent projections, based on Worldometer’s 2025 population estimate of over 237 million Nigerians, suggest that the absolute numbers have likely increased.

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What is even more alarming is the low school attendance rate among visually impaired children. Past estimates showed that less than 10 percent of school-age visually impaired Nigerians were actually in school. The rest were left at home or forced into street begging — a tragedy for a nation that claims to prioritise education.

The university library problem

Libraries are the backbone of academic learning. Their primary purpose is to provide access to information resources for all students. Yet, in Nigeria, many university libraries operate on the dangerous assumption that they have no visually impaired students — and therefore do not need to invest in materials and technology to serve them.

This assumption is wrong. As Eskay and Chima (2013) observed, there is a clear gap in service provision to visually impaired students in Nigerian higher institutions. The reasons range from inadequate facilities, lack of specialised skills among library staff, and limited budgets to outright neglect in procurement policies.

Some libraries may have a handful of Braille books or audio materials, but these are often outdated or too few to meet the needs of students. Others have none at all. As Horfall and Opara (2023) note, the number of visually impaired students in Nigerian universities is growing, yet the pace of change in library collections and services is painfully slow.

Why it matters

Like their sighted peers, visually impaired students seek information on a wide range of topics — from their academic coursework to career opportunities, from social and cultural engagement to political participation and sports. Denying them access to resources not only limits their academic success but also stifles their full participation in society.

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The barriers they face go beyond the absence of materials. Environmental degradation, socioeconomic inequality, and architectural inaccessibility in campuses further compound their struggles. Negative public attitudes towards disability deepen the sense of exclusion. The high cost of assistive devices, coupled with the lack of institutional support, makes matters worse.

Towards an inclusive future

The solutions are neither impossible nor prohibitively expensive — but they require deliberate action.

First, the National Universities Commission (NUC) should mandate that all universities integrate special education courses into their general curriculum. This would create an institutional awareness of the needs of students with disabilities and spur the acquisition of appropriate materials.

Second, university libraries must lead the charge. They should proactively acquire assistive technologies such as screen readers, Braille embossers, magnification software, and audiobooks. Staff training is equally important — it is not enough to have the tools; librarians must know how to guide students in using them.

Third, governments at both federal and state levels must treat education for the visually impaired as a priority. This means not just issuing policies but funding their implementation. Grants for library acquisitions, subsidies for assistive devices, and targeted scholarships can all make a measurable difference.

Fourth, collaboration is key. Universities can partner with NGOs, international development agencies, and technology companies to source affordable or donated assistive equipment. Successful models exist — institutions in other countries have leveraged such partnerships to build robust support systems for disabled students.

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Changing the narrative

The education of the visually impaired is not charity; it is an investment. A society that excludes its disabled citizens from the knowledge economy undermines its own progress. When visually impaired students have the same access to information as their peers, they are not just passive recipients of aid; they become active contributors to economic growth, innovation, and national development.

This is not merely about meeting international commitments like the SDGs. It is about fairness, justice, and the belief that every Nigerian deserves a chance to learn, to work, and to live with dignity.

If Nigeria is serious about building an inclusive and prosperous society, we must start with our universities—the very institutions charged with producing the nation’s future leaders. Providing accessible information resources for visually impaired students is not optional; it is an urgent necessity.

The question is not whether we can afford to act, but whether we can afford the cost of doing nothing. Every visually impaired student denied access to education is a lost opportunity for the nation. Every library without resources for them is a silent statement that their aspirations matter less.

That is a message no country aspiring to progress should ever send.

Vincent Opara is a librarian, archivist and lecturer at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State.