I’m Joseph Owino, aged 23 years, a 4th year Economics and Statistics student in Mount Kenya University. As a person with disability and a student leader working on the issues of students with disability in my university I wish to make a call towards realizing inclusive education. The state and non-state actors who are stakeholders in the field of education should ensure inclusive policy making and full implementation to take full care of the needs and welfare of children and students with disability from basic education levels to higher education levels. We must ensure these policies touch on higher educational institutions, which are colleges and universities, to ensure that the transition of students with disabilities from basic education levels to higher education levels is raised.
As an empowerment champion, I echo Nelson Mandela’s saying that Education is the only weapon that can be used to change the world, for long term empowerment of persons with disability to be effected, we must ensure that education plays the focal role. For the education of persons with disability to reach a higher magnitude in the educational standards a lot must be put on the table to make this dream a reality. The inclusive education framework can only be effected when there is full accessibility of our school’s infrastructure to remove barriers in our educational arena to enable everyone access the education to all the levels they desire.
For inclusion to be realized in our educational institutions, its cannot only be solved through the brick and mortar policy but also through availing of necessary resources to support the education of all persons irrespective of their gender, disability, race, religion etc. For the harsh economic realities have hit persons with disabilities so hard that being able to provide for their livelihoods and support their academic ambitions with all the high costing resources proves to be a futile dream to many. For the resources these persons need are like wheelchairs, braille machines, special spectacles, hearing devices etc. which are not affordable to more than 80% of those who need them because of the economic disparity. I call upon stakeholders from different walks of life to come to the aid of the dreams of my fellow persons who want to quench their academic thirst by ensuring availing of necessary resources and education financing to enable these people lead independent lives and have a life that is dignified and meaningful that inspires many.
I look forward to a robust and mind opening Global Disability Summit engagement whose commitments on ensuring inclusive education will ratify the need of enough and required manpower in these institutions to support the education of persons with disability irrespective of their fortunes. This will ensure that information relay to persons with visual and hearing impairments get information in the best and accessible formats they are well informed of. For we all must operate under the umbrella notion, “LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND”.
By
Joseph Owino Odhiambo, 23 years old, Kenya