A

REPORT

ON

FIELD TRIP
SUBMITTED BY

ADEDIRAN ABDULMUJEEB ADEWALE

MATRIC NO: 221695
FROM THE PRESTIGIOUS DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

COURSE CODE

SPE 201

COURSE TITLE

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE I

SUBMITTED TO

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN,

IBADAN NIGERIA.

LECTURER IN CHARGE

DR UDEME S. JACOB

June 30, 2023.

APPRECIATION

We give thanks to God Almighty for the successful trip we embarked on, on the 21st of June, 2023.

Our sincere appreciation to our lecturer in charge, Dr Udeme S Jacob. Also, we appreciate the

effort of the sign language interpreter that followed us to make learning easier for some of our

colleagues with hearing impairment. I would love to appreciate the committee member as well

starting from Ibitoye Inioluwa Rose, Adewole Timilehin Emmanuel, Oriade Adewunmi Esther,

Omotoso Ayomide Deborah, Adetutu Joan Remi, Oyedemi Oluwatobi Tomiwa, Adediran

Abdulmujeeb Adewale and one of our masters' students whose name I could not remember as of

the time of writing.

We say a very big thank you to you all.

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INTRODUCTION

SPE 201 is a Professional Practice 1 meant for 200 level students in the department of Special

Education and for masters students who did not study Special Education in their first degree. It is

a compulsory three (3) units course and it is carried out in 2 modes. The first part is the

Examination that carries 40 marks while the second part is done through a Field Trip. The essence

of the Field Trip is to provide students with meaningful and enriching learning experiences outside

the classroom and to connect theoretical knowledge to practical applications, promoting deeper

understanding and retention of what has been learned so far about the discipline in the classroom.

After the Field trip, a report would be written by students and submitted on the stipulated time.

The Field Trip report carries 60 marks making a total of 100 marks for the course. SPE 201 exposes

students to the nitty-gritty of the discipline and enable students to choose any units out of the six

(6) units in the department in which they believe they can cope with as management of special

needs students is concerned.

The Schools and Homes visited during the Field Trip are:

•Beersheba Christian Mission, Akufo.

•Remand Home but now Juvenile Correctional Institution, Poly Road.

•Omoyeni Home for the Blind, Adesola Area Orita-Aperin, Ibadan.

•Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled, Moniya Ibadan.

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REPORT OF OBSERVATION CARRIED OUT AT BEERSHEBA CHRISTIAN

MISSION, AKUFO.

We left the campus some minutes to 9 in the morning. I was in bus 2 and Mrs Enyia Grace led us

in prayer before we embarked on the journey. I called the attendance of students in my bus to

ensure that we're completed. 78 students payed and went for the field trip in total. We got to

Beersheba Christian Mission by 9:57am. The special school we went to is located at Akufo. The

school was founded in 2008 by Mrs Abosede Oluremi. The founder happens to be one of the

masters' students auditing the course. We were led in by the gateman of the school and all students

in the 3 buses alighted. Getting inside, I observed how well kept the premises was; the ground was

not littered and the environment was conducive enough for learning. The school had a very

beautiful exterior and interior decoration.

THE ENTRANCE MAIN BUILDING

EXTERIOR DECORATION EXTERIOR DECORATION

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Mr Toluwase Abraham came outside to welcome the students from the prestigious Department of

Special Education. He started by saying that the school is privately owned and that there was a

mistake in the name of the school written in the letter brought to them by the committee member.

He told us that the school is spelt as Beersheba and not Bathsheba that was written in the letter.

According to Mr Toluwase Abraham, he said the school was established based on the perspective

of Christians but they admit both Christians and Muslims and they have attended to over 250

clients. He added that they refer to the wards in their school as clients. He went further to tell us

that lots of students have graduated and they are doing fine in their respective area. He added that

some are into laundry service, some are artist while some are entrepreneur.

Mr Toluwase Abraham spoke about the procedure for their admission. He started by saying that

they start early intervention at the age of 4 year. He went further to say that the board are the ones

in charge of the admission process. The admission process starts with assessment and the board

visit the family of the client to understand the needs of such client. The process of visiting the

client's family reminds me of one of the models of disability that Dr Udeme Jacob taught us both

in 100 level and 200 level. This model of disability is called Customer/Empowering Model and

how does it correlate with what I have been saying? The model is a type of model where the

professional is seen as the service provider and the professional is meant to consult his or her client

who has the right to choose the service that suites him or her the most. The client can choose to go

for a private or public care. It is evident that by doing so, the school is putting people with

disabilities into consideration which is better than using force action on the client. This model is

practiced by the Beersheba Christian Mission whereby the board of the school visit the client after

assessment in order to understand them better.

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According to Mr Toluwase Abraham, the school is a residential school meaning that no parent is

allowed to bring his child from home. There is hostel accommodation for the clients because it has

been established that people with special needs make great progress in environments where there

is structure and routine therefore to follow up strictly the abilities taught in the school and ensure

strict compliance with their structured learning procedures and routine, he emphasized that

Beersheba Christian Mission operates a boarding facility for their clients. He added that therapy

sessions are followed up in the hostels by their trained hostel team. Mr Abraham added that their

curriculum is not static and that the major aim of the school is to deliver a broad and balanced

curriculum to their clients. He informed us that instructors work on an individual based needs. This

is done in order to recognize and address the client's unique requirements. It is pertinent to know

that each person with special needs has unique strengths, challenges, and aspirations and by

considering their individual needs, it will be easier for them to design personalized support and

interventions that are specifically tailored to enhance the client's abilities, address their limitations

and improve the overall well-being and quality of life for their clients.

Furthermore, we were told that the school runs on a term by term bases. The school spends 3

months per term and at the end of the term, they allow their clients to go home to see their parents.

He added that they don't allow long holidays because students with special needs forgets a lot

especially when they leave their place of learning for a long period of time. This can make them

relax and forget all what they have learned. He added that their clients spend just a week or less

than a week on vacation, then they would be return back to the school premises.

According to Mr Toluwase Abraham, he said the criteria for graduation is their client's level of

independence so as to reduce the physical and social barriers, for them to have a better chance of

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having successful careers, removal of burden from their community and to be able to attain full

community presence by holding meaningful jobs and living independently.

Mr Toluwase Abraham introduced us to the head of learning center, Mr Damilare Anifowose, who

happens to be an alumni of the prestigious Department of Special Education, University of Ibadan,

Ibadan.

PHOTO SESSION WITH MR TOLUWASE ABRAHAM AND MR DAMILARE ANIFOWOSE

After telling us about the school, questions were entertained from the students. A masters student

asked if these special students can get married. Dr Udeme Jacob answered the question. He said

there is a law that guides the marriage contract of people with disabilities. He went further by

telling us a story of how he was pivotal in changing the attitude of 2 married special needs people.

After the educative conversation, we were asked to go inside and we went straight to their hall. All

students sat down on the chairs that had been arranged in the mini hall. Students were then called

in batches to enter the main places in building. Instructions were given to the students not to take

the photograph of their clients as it is against their ethics. I entered with the second to the last

batch.

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 PHOTOS OF STUDENTS WAITING IN THE SCHOOL MINI HALL

Mr Toluwase Abraham started showing us various rooms in the building and what they were meant

for. We were allowed to take photograph of the rooms in the building but not the photograph of

their clients. The first thing he showed us was the hostel of the male clients. The room was very

neat and their beds were neatly laid. I asked Mr Toluwase Abraham if the students lay the beds

themselves or they help them lay it. He replied that the students lay their beds themselves but it is

done under supervision. He went further to show us the female hostel as well. The room looks

exactly like that of the male hostel. Everything was in order. He took us to the school kitchen. The

place was really nice. We asked if the students cook themselves and he said no. He told us that

they only wash their plates themselves. I learnt that the students engage in physical exercises every

Monday because it is necessary most especially for children with cerebral palsy and other

orthopedic conditions. The students do laundry once a week and they are allowed to arrange their

cloths every Fridays. Mr Toluwase Abraham led us to the administration office where we met Mrs

Eniola Eniolorunda(Administrator). Other administrators include Mr John and Mr Mark.

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 ADMINISTRATION OFFICE

MALE HOSTEL FEMALE HOSTEL

The last place we visited was the students classroom. We saw different students with different

conditions and they were being attended to by different professionals with individual based needs

taken into consideration. The first student that caught my attention was a lady that has intellectual

disability. We were told that she was a victim of an accident when she was very small and that

affected her brain. This made me understand better what we've been learning theoretically that one

of the post-natal causes of Intellectual Disability is "accident". The lady in question could only

receive information but couldn't respond back. She makes gestures whenever she needs something.

I suggested to them that since she can't speak, sign language could be an alternative for her but Mr

Toluwase Abraham said it will be quite difficult for her to learn sign language since she is

intellectually disabled. Another student that caught my attention was a Gifted and Talented student

coupled with behavioral disorder. We learnt that he came from U.K and he is very sound. We met

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him playing chess with Dr Udeme Jacob. His condition reminded me of this saying that Special

Education is not only for people with disabilities but also for those that are gifted and or talented

in a particular area. They have to be properly managed in order to give them the opportunity to

develop to their fullest potentials and making the maximum use of their capabilities. We also saw

a student that was sorting out rice from beans. We were curious and asked Mr Toluwase Abraham

and he told us that they use that in stretching their fingers. A student was also aksed to play with

hand pad to exercise her fingers. After spending few minutes with them, we were asked to leave

for the last batch to come in. After we were done, every students were served food with chilled

drink after which we presented our little gift to them which they appreciated. All students entered

their respective buses and we left the school at exactly 11:10am.

KITCHEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICE

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REPORT OF OBSERVATION CARRIED OUT AT JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL

INSTITUTION.

We arrived at the school around 12pm. The school is located along Poly Road, Sango Ibadan.

Immediately we stepped into the school, I noticed some kids with tattered dress, some were putting

on oversized cloths while some walk bare footed. This was really an obvious transition when

compared to the first school we went to. Dr Udeme Jacob had a conversation with a woman at the

administrative building who later introduced herself to us. After the discussion with the woman,

we were led in to a room where the students are. And even before that, some sets of students were

already outside, eager to see the visitor in their midst. The special students tried to cling with some

of us before they were sent away by their teacher. We entered the room filled with the students

and they welcomed us with songs for some minutes. We joined them in singing and we danced

with the students to show them love and affection. They were so happy to the extent that some

started hugging us. Some students were so coward that they had to stylish move to the back to

avoid the students because of the way they appeared. We left the room after the song and we went

outside where Mrs Akinpelu,the officer in charge addressed us. According to her, the school is a

place for abandoned kids. Juvenile Correctional Institution can be likened to a prison for the

children less than 18 years of age. Such children are called the Minority and because of this, they

cannot be sent to the jail after committing a crime because they are not up to 18 years. They are

sent to the Juvenile Correctional Institution instead. Due to the sensitive cases of children in the

school, we were given a very strict rule not to take any picture of the wards.

The Home take care of the children, their feeding, their clothing and other welfare. The main

source of aid is the government but there are also help from various Non-Governmental

10
Organizations (NGOs) and also kindhearted individuals of the society. The school is divided into

3 different units.

1) Child Care Unit 1&2(CCU): Children between the age of 0-10 years are taken care of in this

unit according to Mrs Akinpelu. They care for children who are rescued from cases of parental

issues that are being resolved in the court of law, cases of abandonment, children whose mother

died at birth or early in life and children whose mother suffers from emotional trauma. According

to Mrs Akinpelu, the mode of admission to the school is that the children with the aforementioned

conditions will be placed on advertisement for 3 months. This is after the child's case has been

resolved in the court of law. It will then be legalized for adoption after 2 years. She went further

to inform us that the children in the unit are enrolled in a public school, while some goes to a

private school through the help of philanthropists.

2) Juvenile Correctional Institution: This set of children are those without disabilities. They are

children guilty of some crimes such as stealing, assaults and in some cases, murder. But because

they are not up to 18 years and according to the constitution in Nigeria, children not up to 18 years

cannot be jailed because they are regarded to as Minor. This unit is specially made for them and

these set of children are are kept separately in order to prevent chaos among other children. These

children remain in this unit pending the termination of their cases in the court of law. The unit

serves as a correction centre for them instead of being jailed by the court of law.

3) Special Unit: We proceeded to this unit and we were grouped into 10 to enter the room where

the special need kids were kept. I entered with the first batch and we saw kids with cases of

Hydrocephalus,

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Microcephalus Intellectual Disability, etc. These children are those who are rejected from home

as a result of one condition or the other. We saw some lying on their back while some were lying

on their chest. The caregivers were feeding them when we entered. Some have frail bones and can't

stand on their feet. In a nut shell, they are totally dependent. After we came out for other batches

to enter, Oyedeji Grace shed tears because of what she saw. She was so scared of their condition.

I had to go in again with the last batch that entered because someone told me she saw a kid with

Epilepsy but I didn't notice that when I entered. I entered with the last batch again to check

thoroughly and I saw it.

According to Mrs Akinpelu, doctor visits the home every Tuesday while nurse visits every

Tuesday and Thursday. She said the school had produced a lot of successful people. She mentioned

few of them among which are Bolaji Usman and another student working in a bank. Some got

government job while some were into teaching profession. She showed us a building constructed

for them by Fidelity Bank. That was the only building in the compound that is beautiful compared

to what we had in the first school we visited. She emphasized the fact that the school is being

operated by the government and they are lacking funds. The school depends solely on

philanthropists and some non-governmental organizations to sponsor them and provide necessary

materials for them.

I would love to recommend the following to the school based on what I observed.

1) Government should fund the school adequately because the special students are also the citizen

of the country and they also have their right to education according to the constitution of the

country.

2) Adequate materials should be provided for the children.

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3) There should be a form of collaboration with local organizations, businesses, and volunteers to

provide vocational training, internships, and community-based learning experiences.

4) Government should ensure they provide adequate special educators to handle the case of

children with disabilities.

5) Finally, people with good heart in the society should also contribute positively in supporting the

school with donations of substances and materials. It will really go a long way in solving the

aforementioned problems.

We left the school at 1:03pm and went straight to the next school.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING SPECIAL UNIT BUILDING

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REPORT OF OBSERVATION CARRIED OUT AT OMOYENI SCHOOL FOR THE

BLIND (ORITA APERIN)

We got to the school at 1:35pm and we were attended to by Mrs O.A Silas. According to her, the

school was was founded in the year 1980 by Elder Christopher Ajiboye Aborisade. The school

operates both day and boarding school. The parents of the day children come to pick them when

the school closes while those in boarding stay in the hostel until the school goes on vacation.

People with good heart visit the school and give their donations in order to assist the children. The

school is mainly for those with visual impairment. They have boys and girls hostel and students

are being admitted from age 6. There are no cases of abandoned children in this school as see in

the second school that we visited. Parents deliberately enroll the children in the school just like we

have in regular schools. Mrs O.A Silas informed us about the materials used by the teachers and

students in the teaching and learning process. She brought out a Marburg, Stylus and Braille Sheet.

She mentioned other materials used by them such as Perkings Braille and Typewriter. We were

told that the braille has 6 dots which is used to form A_Z, words and sentences and are then read

by the students. She asked the students to read A-Z for us using dots which they did perfectly. She

added that there is a writing frame that has ABC and figure 1-10 on it which the students will get

with their hand before they start learning to write. The students learn how to type in basic 3 and

before they get to secondary school, they would have mastered it.

STYLUS AND MARBURG BRAILLE SHEET

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Their classroom was so spacious and with this, it would make movement easier for this children

with visual impairment. In order to navigate their way, these children use mobility stick to move

around. The school has produced students who are doing well in their different chosen field of

career. Some of the challenges I noticed was that the materials used by these children are so

expensive such as stylus, notebooks, roll of cardboard, etc. I will implore government to kindly

give more to what is being given to the school. Philanthropists in the community should also assist

the government by supplementing what is being provided. We left the school around 2:15 and we

embarked on the journey to the last school.

REPORT OF OBSERVATION CARRIED OUT AT REHABILITATION CENTER FOR

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, MONIYA

We got to the school exactly 3:20pm and upon entering the compound, a boy beckoned on us and

directed us to the place we were going to. The Vice Principal, Mrs Seun Olalekanmi welcomed us.

We were grouped into 2. A group was asked to enter the room filled with children with special

needs while other were asked to stay behind the window. I was opportune to be among those that

entered. They welcomed us with a song. You could see the joy on their faces, it was so obvious.

We danced together with them and they were so happy to receive us. Mrs Seun Olalekanmi

addressed us and according to her, the centre was established in 1989 and was commissioned in

1990 by Alhaji Ibrahim Babangida. They had their first set of graduates in the year 1999.

According to her, the center caters for different categories of people with disabilities; including

the intellectually disabled, those that are mentally ill, visually impaired, hearing impaired and some

with comorbidity, that is, the occurrence of two or more disabilities at the same time. There are

different units in the school. We were showed their shoe making unit, hair dressing unit, fashion

designing unit, animal husbandry unit, administrative unit, information and communication

15
technology(ICT) unit and tie and dye unit. They train them on professional trades that would make

them self-dependent and be useful to themselves and to the society at large. According to Mrs

Seun Olalekanmi, the psychiatric wards are put on drugs in order to suppress their condition. She

added that the principal was once a victim of their psychiatric ward who wanted to hit her with a

plank but she was able to block it with her hand before people came to her rescue. Some of the

previous set of students come back to the school as a Volunteer. Their mode of admission is based

on application by form. The form is always free. After the application, the centre screened the

students and the screening process is done by inviting some of the lectures in University of Ibadan.

The centre provides free accommodation, free foods, and free health care to the children, all

services are free after the admission. The children do not go on break until they complete their

training. The duration of the training is one year but sometimes the time might be extended. Some

of the challenges I noticed about the school was the fact that their building needs to be renovated.

Also, their environment needs good and thorough grooming because there are a lot of bushes in

their compound which can lead to dangerous animals to sneak in unnoticed. When we were about

to leave, the children waved to us and we presented our gifts to them. We left the school around

4:20pm. We got back to the faculty where our HOD, Professor Ayo Osisanya welcomed us all.

Food and drink were served to all students before we all left for our various places.

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CONCLUSION

The purpose of the trip was to expose students in 200 level going to 300 level to the professional

practice of Special Education. It also exposes masters students that did not study Special Education

in their first degree but came for their masters in Special Education to the professional practice of

Special Education. The visits to the schools and homes made it easy for us to compare what we

have learnt in the classroom to the real life situation in the field. It also gives us the opportunity to

decide and specialize in a unit out of the 6 available units in Special Education when we get to 300

level.

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