Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused panic and uncertainty globally. It affected all areas of life including education. In South Africa, this had dire consequences for learners with disabilities. The focus of this study was to investigate the educational challenges experienced by learners diagnosed with severe intellectual impairments during the COVID-19 pandemic in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative approach, anchored within an interpretivist paradigm and using An exploratory case study design. Twenty participants were purposively sampled to take part in the study. The sample included six learners with SID, seven educators and seven therapists. Data was collected using face-to face semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with learners, educators and therapists. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the education of the learners with SID was affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic. This had a ripple effect on their overall well-being. The findings highlighted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was loss of learning time, lack of interaction with others, development of risky behaviour, lack of access to resources and lack of parental support. It is hoped that the study can provide ways to assist the learners with SID regarding their education and their well-being during a pandemic or similar future disaster.
Key words: COVID-19 pandemic, disability, impairment, intellectual disability, low-socio-economic status, Severely Intellectually Disabled, special schools.