Is disability the best kept secret in SW UGANDA?
I got a phone call from Ann last Friday morning wondering if I was free that evening. Yes I am, what’s up I asked?
The school inspector from Patience and Perfect’s village is at Roehampton University for a few days and he wondered if we would see him.
So it was that we found ourselves at Roehampton University at 8PM face to face with Stuart Oyesigye. During the conversation we learned that Stuart had undertaken a Masters degree at Roehampton University specialising in INCLUSIVE EDUCATION and every year the University holds a reunion for former students and that is why he was in town.
Although he is the District school inspector he has a passion for ensuring disabled children can access main stream education and as such he has set up a project to do just that. He has 20 Inclusive Volunteers whose job it is to locate disabled children in village and work alongside the families.
I was puzzled by this and asked what he meant by “locate” the children
Oh, disabled children are ordinarily hidden by their parents and are hard to uncover so the Inclusive volunteers have to go house to house in search of them. For you see the children are a source of embarrassment for the families
And when they get to school they face new challenges as teachers are ill equipped ( they almost always cannot use sign language and Braille) to deal with children with hearing and or speech impairments in particular, they are dubbed stupid and are eventually “encouraged” by the teachers to give up on education all together or sometimes the children leave on their own accord because they feel they are wasting their time at school.
Those with physical disability struggle to get to school due to poor infrastructure and depend on family getting them there. This is not possible in most cases. You have been to our village and seen the terrain; someone in a wheel chair cannot navigate that on their own!
Ann and I were dumb founded by this revelation and were at a loss of what to say. The idea that children are hidden out of sight for being disabled is not one any human being can get his/her around easily nor understand. The conversation turned to a boy at our own project, who became disabled from a polio infection. He can walk but with the aid of a stick and other children are encouraged to walk home with him at the end of the day and they do this happily.
We asked Stuart how we could help him. He told us that he is especially looking for Education Social workers to provide training for his team of Inclusive Volunteers. This would help him to grow the number of volunteers that can support the 15,900 children they have registered on their books through the education system.
As we drove home that evening I reflected on the conversation with Stuart and I looked back on my childhood in Uganda trying to recall if I had come across any disabled children then. It was interesting to note that the only ones I knew were those I was related to, a cousin with epilepsy, another with downs syndrome and another with a physical disability caused by polio. Was it possible that other families in our village didn’t have disabled children; certainly none came to the schools or colleges I attended?
When I got home I got a call from my cousin and I told her about my evening. She too confirmed what Stuart had told us, that families hide disabled children!
I don’t know about you folk, but all of this makes me more appreciative of the life I have
PS If you would like to help Stuart or know anyone that can please get in touch at http://www.lethemhelpthemselves.org/contact and we will forward your details to him
About IdaHornerFounder of Ethnic Supplies a social enterprise working to alleviate poverty amongst East African women involved in textile and handicraft production. Managing Editor of Africa on the blog
View all posts by IdaHorner →
5 Responses to Is disability the best kept secret in SW UGANDA?
All that jazz – All in A Day
Review of: Cousin Alice Jazz Music by Cousin Alice: Elaine Sturgess Reviewed by: Elaine Sturgess Rating: 5 On January 21, 2012 Last modified: January 30, 2012 Summary: What makes Alice so distinctive is her wonderfully smokey voice, a quality that furniture designer William Yeoward found so arresting at a concert she was performing for the [...]
Pingback: Tweets that mention Please comment on: Is disability the best kept secret in SW UGANDA?: I got a phone call from Ann ... -- Topsy.com
I have been thinking on this Ida, up until I worked with the 'harder' to help I had little contact with disabled people outside of the family. A blind aunt, and Kev's mum who was crippled with vicious type of arthritis was the extent of my contact. My ex husband had disabilities but to be honest I ignored them – and he was 'cured' by the surgery that sadly failed for Jane. I don't know if there were others in my family who never said anything, just that these are my boundaries.
My nieces are disabled, and slowly they have drifted from mainstream schools to one that has been adapted for their needs, my sister has tried hard to keep them integrated but their needs have increased (so I am told – we don't talk). It is a tremendous strain on my sister and those that surround her to do everything they do for a 'normal' life.
I just don't think there is any such thing as a normal life, that we are all different and now people can stop hiding and come out and be treated as people and not something less than a person.
It is a terrible tragedy when that happens to children. I appreciate Uganda is a long way off from being able to provide the facilities disabled children get in this country, but hiding them away from society, I don't get
Ida – I read this when you first posted it and have now found a moment to comment – we have been working, as an organisation, to change the lives of disabled children in Uganda for 25 years – what Stuart has told you of course is true, there is emmense stigma and huge barriers – but where we have worked, little by little, things improve, we talk to parents, we help them to come together, we work with school and government to change attutudes and help children access services – any way, in short, thanks for posting this – and please tell Stuart to get in touch with me if he would like to – you can reach me through http://www.ablechildafrica.org.uk,
Mary Ann
Many thanks Mary Ann, I will pass your details on to Stuart