By Kabuye Ronald
Parents of children with disabilities and special needs have appealed to medical workers, teachers and the public to change the bad perception and attitude towards them and their children.
The call has been made during the stakeholder’s engagement that was attended by parents of children with disabilities and without disabilities, teachers, medical workers, and officials from ministry of education, health among others in Nsambya, Kampala to reflect on the progress, challenges and the possible solution to betterment of the children’s lives.
Ruth Nalugya, the national coordinator for Spine Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association Uganda SHAU said that the stakeholders meeting is aimed at promoting inclusive education, health and rehabilitation and human rights advocacy and it’s something they do every towards the end of year in order to reflect on the progress and identify the gaps then brainstorm together on the way forward in the coming year.
Nalugya expressed dissatisfaction with some of the stakeholders like Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) that deliberately refuse to participate in such engagement despite the numerous invites and reminders yet such programs are key in the implementation of government policies since they are ground rooted.
Nalugya also lashed at the public especially medical workers who have bad attitude towards children with Spine Bifida and Hydrocephalus especially in handling them. “Most of the medical workers turn away children who go to the health facilities to seek medical services like immunization that are not related to their condition in the name of not treating children with the said conditions yet they have the same right to access the same medical service that other people access. And also some parents of these children keep on cursing on why they gave birth to them but we encourage them that those children are able to do great things and they are not a curse to them.”
Mungu Kaleebo Bernard Ondoa, a parent of a child with Hydrocephalus said that the children with such condition are not only irritated by the crowding, long hours in class but also any slight sickness makes them converse which condition can only be handled by the parents and those who know how to handle the children with such condition which makes their learning difficult.
He also said that they face challenges with medical officers who handle children who he said most times don’t want to listen to the parents and they end up administering wrong medication to their children which brings about complications which he says might be the same case with the teachers when schools reopens, he thus called for orientation of all teachers before schools reopen since children will not be able to learn well if their needs are met.
Namyalo Sarah, a clinical officer at Kitebi health Centre III, admitted that indeed children with hydrocephalus and Spine Bifida have sometimes missed out on health services because of the level of the health facility and also the knowledge gap of the health workers. She thus urged the medical officer to always treat them from other diseases and medical services needed unless its in line with the same condition that requires them to see their specialized doctors.
Nakaweesi Kevin a parent with a child with special need urged teachers to befriend their children so that they can ably learn, be encouraged and empowered since some perceive themselves as failures and aged to keep in school.
In the same, Trust Ariho Sserwanga, a parent of a child with special need requested the teachers to understand children with special needs, handle them with care, befriend them, give them time and also listen to their parents since they are clever and wise children who also want to secure their future and it’s their right to education. She urged schools to make their facilities accessible and accommodative to such children.
However, Asingiza Emmanuel a teacher who applauded SHAU for training teachers on how to handle the children with disability, believes that the training will effectively help them in handling, teaching and caring for them. He also urged ministry of education to train and skill all teachers on the handling of children with various disabilities since by the time of his training it wasn’t part of the study calcium.
Hassan Waddimba, the director of Grassroots Strategies Africa applauded SHAU for the inclusive style of training and its cooperation with all stakeholders. He asserted that such a style helps a lot in caring for one another especially in children those with special needs and without and also in aligning a work plan that helps concerned partners to fulfill their mandate and responsibilities.
Dr. Pamela Nzeeyimana an official from the ministry of education and sports in the department of special needs and inclusive education revealed that the ministry has already included a special needs and inclusive education course unit in all primary school teachers’ training colleges which enables teachers who complete the course to come out with the skills and knowledge on how to plan, identify and support children with disabilities. She added that the ministry of education is also developing the Uganda national institute for teacher’s education under which a program for special needs has been developed and teachers will come out with skills to teach all children with disabilities.
Dr. Pamela also urged teachers especially those going for upgrading from grade three to take up the course of specializing in teaching children with special needs since they now know its importance
