Dr. John Garang Memorial Secondary School Head teacher is calling on the government and education partners to support learners with disabilities.
Gideon Cholong Ataba proposes training of teachers to handle learners with special needs and paying their school fees and provide scholastic materials.
“As a government, we ask them, they should pay even half of their school development, and for the NGOs also we ask them also to support them, morally through some other training then they will be okay so that they don’t feel isolated from others, and even some teachers need to be trained. Please parents if you have somebody who is disabled, please send them let them come to the school, let them join any school, from our schools so that they can upgrade and they can help us in our future’, said Cholong.
Dominic Ochoro Kasiano is a form three student at Dr. John Garang memorial secondary school in Torit who cannot talk nor hear.
As a hearing impaired person who cannot hear nor speak, Radio Emmanuel reporter interviewed Garang by writing the questions on a piece of paper for him to answer on the paper.
Dominic responded that his situation has not been fully considered by the school administration, especially during classes.
“Sometimes in the class, they delete the notes before I complete copying. I don’t talk and this is a challenge for me to discuss or communicate with fellow students. I am asking the people who are like me to come to school to learn but not stay at home doing nothing. I want to become artist for designing in future”.
Another person with disability in Torit, who is the Director of studies at Dr. John Garang Memorial Secondary school, Okeny, shares his challenges.
“Some challenges that I do get especially when I go to the class, there are some categories of students, they see may be the way you stand, you present yourself in front of them, they take like you are not actually important and may be what you are delivering to them is not important. When you are delivering your lesson in class, these people [students] will not actually give you maximum respect. So it seems they doubt yourself, because the may be seeing the structure or the way you appear to them”.
Meanwhile, Hellen Guo Peter is a physically challenged mother who gave birth to a child with disability. She emphasizes that, disability is not inability.
To prove to the population that disability is not inability, Hellen is engaged in a business where she earns a living and supports her children in school.
The mother of six, appeals to the population not to keep the physically challenged people in their families but accord them their rights.
“If you have someone with disability, you take them out during big days so that he/she feels that people love him/her. Secondly, take them to school; let the person study with the disability on the hand, or the leg. The disability is not in the mind, the mind is free, he will help in the future, and do not hide them at home, I who is talking am disable and my son is also disable but I tried to send him to school now he is in senior one going to senior two”.
Helen says she is disappointed by some people who undermine and insult persons with disabilities.
“There are other people who insult me that I am not able to purchase goods from far. I use to move when things were okay only that the capital is partly lost, I use to go up to Katire and hire people to bring for me beans from the top of the mountain. Am only asking the NGOs if they can help people like these, they should look into it and support them, people who can help themselves, like tailoring I did the training I can Saw, if they can help us with the tailoring machine to help in sawing like now you can see me sawing bed sheets with my hands, all these can help”.
Every 3rd December, the world commemorates International day of disability to raise awareness on inclusion of people with disability in all sectors of life.