Nairobi — Uptake Education, in collaboration with iHub and the Mastercard Foundation Ed Tech Fellowship, has launched a revolutionary digital content platform aimed at empowering learners with disabilities.
The partners say this platform promises to significantly enhance access to education for students with a range of disabilities, including hearing and visual impairments, autism, and intellectual disabilities.
The newly launched platform is designed with inclusivity in mind, offering both online and offline accessibility to ensure that learners, even in remote areas, can access high-quality educational resources.
The content is aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and is available in both English and Swahili, catering to the linguistic needs of students across Kenya.
"The Uptyke Education platform offers a comprehensive suite of interactive and accessible learning materials for students with disabilities,"said Uptyke CEO Lilian Mutegi.
"This is an important step toward ensuring these learners receive the same digital learning experience as their peers."
The platform is designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles at its core, ensuring that educational resources such as videos, hands-on experiments, and tailored assessments are adaptable to meet the diverse learning needs of students.
This is in line with the Ministry of Education's focus on differentiated and accessible digital learning experiences for all learners, including those with special educational needs.
Speaking at the launch, Sheila Lutta, Assistant Director at the Ministry of Education, Special Needs Education, emphasized the importance of ensuring that learners with disabilities are not left behind in the digital learning revolution.
"The government is committed to providing inclusive education, covering key areas like early education, assessment, and placement of learners with disabilities, and teacher training," Lutta said.
Fred Owako, National Chairman of the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK), echoed Lutta's sentiments, calling on organizations to support learners living with disabilities, particularly as the government remains the primary donor in this space.
