About Course

1.0 Course Purpose and Descriptions

This course is a short certificate for persons who need to acquire skills quickly to equip themselves with knowledge skills and competencies for service, advocacy and care for persons with disability in all contexts. The is meant to give support in careers related to disability work. career not related to that degree, need to meet national or state licensing requirements. The program is a Credit hour course that is interdisciplinary in nature for people from diverse disciplines and professional backgrounds seeking to gain knowledge, skills and competencies in disability theory, polity and service. The program investigates, critiques and enhances understanding of disability, and introduces you to critical frameworks that will enhance understanding of disadvantages and exclusions experiences arising from personal and societal responses to impairment, and also explore how disability activists, scholars and policies have a re-conceptualised disability from an empowering social political and human right perspective.

1.2 Program Rationale

The short certificate program will enable professionals to get educated and lead their work, and family life in one semester only. The short certificate program is purposed for students who are beginners in the field and would want to enter the disability career, work in disability careers and need to grow or expand knowledge in the field, trained in disability or special needs education and want to further their knowledge and skills.  A short certificate in disability can be a game-changer for career advancement in that the interdisciplinary disability studies is set to provide a valuable credential for those working in direct services, teaching, nursing, rehabilitation, creation of accessible environments and products, as well as persons involved with disability and human rights policy.

The program will build a team of experts who can form support systems in the disability field. Disability academic studies is a new field in Africa South of the Sahara, it is only in the University of Pretoria. Programs offering knowledge, Skills and competencies in Kenya offer a pull of experts for support in the ever-increasing population of Persons with disability for all sectors.  The Daystar Institute of Disability studies offer of this program is a measure towards SDG 4, The program will is part of a global effort to expand societal understanding of diversity and challenge the traditional medical model of disability as a deficit and create eliminate social, legal and political barriers that exclude persons with disability from participating in society on an equal basis with others. The learners will champion an understanding of inequalities in society and assist in identifying remedies from civil rights registration, and human rights instruments that address barriers faced by people with disabilities all over the world. Graduates can work in and offer school support services, support policy and advocacy, NGOs, Parachurch organisations, and community planning, and work in all organisations to support disability mainstreaming.

2.0 Course Requirements

To earn a certificate, a student must complete 15 Credits and participate in the Disability Studies writing seminar for 3 Credit Hours.  Individuals are lowed to audit a course and get certification for the course. However, a full certificate will only be attained on completing 15 Credit hours after graduation.

2.1 Admissions Requirements

Applicants must have at least a D+ in KCSE or its equivalent qualification. Students undertaking a bachelor’s program in DU or elsewhere can apply for this program to equip them for disability Mainstreaming support in the workplace.

2.2 Admission Process

Students should complete the admissions application below. The application requires the following:

1. Provide personal information (name, email, student ID, degree program, and current GPA)
2. Provide a personal statement regarding interest in Disability Studies. ï‚·Upload the student’s unofficial transcript in PDF format, which should indicate that the applicant’s cumulative DU or other is 3.0 or higher.
3. Applications will be processed on an ongoing basis, which will allow students to enter the short certificate at any time. Ids@daystar.ac.ke/ admissions.daystar.ac .ke.

Registration link: http://forms.office.com/r/gpFDdqnFT6

2.3 Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, grandaunts will be able to:

1. Clarify the concept of Disability
2. Participate in interdisciplinary inquiry about disability as diversity.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of disability rights, laws, and policies.
4. Advocate the rights and ethical practice for people with disability
5. Engage in community and professional engagement.

2.4 Program Mode of Learning.

The programme shall be offered as online learning provided through the Daystar E-Learning campus platform with complements of applications such as BigBlueButton Zoom, Google meet, Skype and Microsoft Teams. This shall be done based on Daystar University’s regular semesters.

Teaching methods to be used include problem-based learning in the form of online seminars, guest lectures, video and field trips, computer-based simulations and industry linkage.  In addition, review of referred materials, online group discussions, case studies and synchronously through conference applications.

2.5 The program, Assessment, grading and minimum Standards

The program consists of graded courses according to the criteria laid out in the syllabus. The student must achieve a minimum of 2.7 out of a GPA of 4.00. The assessment will consist of reflection papers, class flipped learning activities, group discussions and presentations, and course problem-based learning projects all constituting 100%. There shall be no final examination.

• i)  All grades below “D” (D plain) will carry no credit and will be calculated as ‘0’ in the grade point.
• ii) Students may be allowed to repeat a failed course twice.
• The codes E, X, Y and Z will revert to an F if no action is taken by the student, or no explanation is forthcoming. S and T are treated as incomplete until the results of the special examination or dissertation are completed. The revision of the special codes will only occur after the student has responded to the reasons that made the student earn the special grade.
• A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.70 must be maintained for a student to graduate.

2.6. Programme Requirements for Graduation

Students must fulfil the following requirements of the course:

2.6.1. Class Attendance

A student shall attend at least 75% of the class sessions for each course registered to be eligible to sit for examinations in that course. Students who miss 25% or more of class sessions will receive an E grade.  However, if a student must be absent from classes for sickness with a medical report or bereavement, the individual has to report to the course instructor. Class attendance for an online class shall is counted based on the completion of the assignment.

2.6.2. Academic dishonesty

Plagiarism is presenting material copied from published literature (books, papers, internet, etc,) without acknowledging the source of information. The students, who engage in such an act, will be given a warning letter. If that persists, Grade F will be given to the course and the student has to restart that particular course again.

2.6.3. Project requirement

The Problem-based Project will constitute the final assessment in each of the courses. To fulfil the requirement, the paper must be assessed as being aligned with the learning outcomes of the program and demonstrate original and substantive research. The project will constitute 40%.