As part of the efforts to promote inclusive education across Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organization – The Ability Life Initiative (TALI), has donated innovative learning aids and other educational materials to persons with disabilities (PWD) at the Government Secondary School (GSS) l, Kuje Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The founders of the NGO, Barr. Prada Uzodimma and Mrs Oprah Uzodimma-Ohaeri, alongside other stakeholders, handed the items to the school authority during a recent educational outreach to the school.
The donated items include electronic tablets equipped with Adaptive Augmentative Communication (AAC) software to assist children with cerebral palsy in communicating with their teachers, peers, friends and family.
Other donations included voice recorders for visually impaired students, speakers for the school’s resource room, whiteboards, wheelchairs, projectors and laptops, all aimed at enhancing inclusive learning through advanced technological devices.
The benefiting students as well as teachers and other members staff were also trained on the use of AAC software to maximize its benefits.
The event was attended by relevant stakeholders in the education and other critical sectors, including the Executive Vice Chairman, of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Mr. Khalil Halilu and the Director of Social Integration, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Mr Lawrence Idemudia Edelifo.
Others include the Head of Special Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Aiseudion Abel and Senior Social Welfare Officer, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Priscilla Okorodudu.
Speaking, Uzodimma, co-founder of TALI, said the gesture was part of the NGO’s poise to bridge existing gaps and ensure inclusive learning opportunities for students with disabilities, especially in public schools.
She lamented that a lot of students with disabilities in public schools were not been carried along because of little or no learning aides for them, adding that her foundation was set to provide intervention measures within its capacity.
She said: “One thing TALI advocates is that students with disabilities get the sound and right education that they actually need and desire and that is what we are doing here today.
“We are sharing these AAC learning materials such as tablets with programmes that enable children who have difficulties in comprehension of speech to be able to communicate with the teachers whether they understand or do not understand what is being taught.
“So, we are advocating for parents, ministries, government bodies and other organizations to donate to the cause to enable us to buy more of the AAC device for students to enable them to enhance their learning.”
Adding: “We are trying to reward those parents by saying that since they want to encourage their children to learn by taking them to these special schools, we are going to give them these technological devices to enable their teachers to teach them better.
“For those in communities, we are still going to have different outreaches to encourage them to know that even if their child has a disability it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn or they can’t go to school.”
Uzodimma therefore urged teachers to ensure that the items were used for the intended purposes by making them readily accessible to the students to enable them to learn effectively and fulfill their dreams irrespective of their physical challenges.
In her remarks, the Assistant Head of Department, Special Needs, GSS Kuje, Mrs Daramola Martina Onyeka, expressed deep appreciation to Uzodimma and her team for the uncommon display of humanitarian gesture and pledged that the items would be effectively utilized in educating the students.
She however lamented the shortage of specialized teachers for students with special needs in FCT public schools.
