When we came back the ball was just not rolling: Special needs educators' perspectives of improvisation through the COVID-19 pandemic

While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education across the globe, special needs schools in middle- and low-income countries were particularly affected. Learners in these contexts often did not have access to assistive technologies and individualised adaptations of materials in their home environment. This study aimed to explore the experiences of special needs educators regarding how lockdown restrictions had impacted their educational practices. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 special needs educators across the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces of South Africa and were analysed through the lens of interpretive phenomenological analysis. Three themes emerged from the interviews. First, the teachers discussed the ways in which they ensured that the curriculum continued during the period of hard lockdown. Second, they discussed the challenges of remote teaching, and lastly, they addressed the challenges when the learners returned to face-to-face learning. These themes shed light on the teachers' flexibility, creativity and ability to improvise within uncertain, unpredictable and unfamiliar educational terrains. We draw the conclusion that it was largely due to positive teacher–learner relationships and the commitment by teachers that improvisation and creativity were possible and effective.