In 2017, 34-year-old Kehinde Adigun-Opeyemi gave birth to her first and only child, Emmanuel Adigun, by Caesarean section at the Nigeria Police Hospital in the heart of Ondo, the country's southwestern capital. . But she didn't fully understand his development until her midwife told her he had spina bifida and talipes, also known as clubfoot.
Spina bifida is a congenital disorder in which a developing baby's spinal cord does not develop properly, causing talipes when the baby's feet are twisted in shape or position at birth.
Kehinde's joy for her new baby never waned. She and her husband, who were alive at the time, were referred to a federal government-owned hospital in Owo, Ondo city. When they arrived, her midwife examined then-two-month-old Emmanuel, who abruptly told her he was too underweight to undergo corrective surgery.
“When my baby was placed on the weighing pan, he weighed 2.8 kilograms, a far cry from his birth weight of 3.5 kilograms,” Adigun Opeyemi told Global Sisters Report. .
Emmanuel, who is now 6 years old, is receiving inclusive education at St. Louis Nursery and Primary School in Akure. Sisters of St. Louis is a community-based rehabilitation center that provides comprehensive interventions for people with disabilities. He is still battling his symptoms.
The Sisters' programs primarily focus on sexual and reproductive health rights that enable children with disabilities and women with disabilities to have satisfying and safe sexual lives and protection from all forms of sexual violence. I'm guessing.
Justina Ihechere, the school's superintendent, told GSR that her congregation discovered in 2021 that regular classroom education within the regular education environment was not helping children with disabilities. He said he needed a full-time program with a comprehensive curriculum for students.
“Kids with disabilities were taught in regular classrooms, which didn't do them any good. It was more stressful and not very advantageous for them.”
Nigeria's Disability Discrimination Act of 2018 criminalizes disability discrimination, punishable by a fine of $700 for corporations and $70 for individuals, or six months' imprisonment, or both.
A new study by the African Institute for Public Opinion Research shows that people with disabilities continue to face some degree of marginalization from society, lack access to public institutions and do not participate in political life. Children and young women with disabilities are often subjected to abuse and prejudice due to the ignorance of people in their communities.
The nuns work to ensure an inclusive and just society where the rights of people with disabilities are respected.
Sister Christiana Udebor said that while inclusive education is important, it is not taken seriously in Nigeria. In response, we designed this inclusive education program.''
Ms. Udeball is the Program Officer for the Sisters' Community-Based Rehabilitation Program, which provides comprehensive rehabilitation services including education and social interventions, physical therapy and assistive devices, advocacy and community awareness.
The Sisters develop individualized education plans to ensure that students with specific disabilities receive specialized instruction and related academic services. For example, when the sisters work with a student whose biological age is 19 and mental age is 2, they adapt to create an engaging and fun classroom that gives him confidence that he can learn.
Philomena Ekwe, one of the teachers, said she and her colleagues used materials such as rubber stamps shaped like different animals, colorful straws and wine-colored eggs to attract children's attention and spark interest in learning. He said it was stimulating.
We also provide training to teachers and parents of children with disabilities to help them interact, share their fears and concerns, and raise more awareness.
Community Rehabilitation Program Coordinator Clara Azubuike explains that the topics discussed at the parent workshop will also serve as an inspiration for families to educate their children with disabilities about sexual health. .
“This helps accept the reality of the child's condition and serves as an environment where parents can talk freely, share experiences and learn how to cope with their child's disability.”
Azubuike added that the school is also training teachers to identify various disabilities in students and assist them while guiding them.
Program activities include purchasing educational materials to establish inclusive classrooms and paying fees for children in schools with hearing and visual impairments. The sisters have also purchased assistive equipment such as cerebral palsy chairs for children, and provided physical therapy sessions, corrective orthopedic surgery, and anticonvulsant medication for children with epilepsy.
The sisters are made up of 86 teaching and non-teaching staff, including four nuns and one special education teacher.
Ofoma Angel, 9, a 6th grade student at a non-disabled school, said that inclusive education integrates students with and without disabilities, allowing them to play board games such as chess, Monopoly, and Scrabble, and play together at school. He said he encourages them to do other things.
“This is one of the interesting teaching methods that the sisters have introduced for inclusive education,” he says.
This program is supported by the Lilian Foundation, a humanitarian organization focused on inclusive society, equal rights and opportunities for children with disabilities. So far, five of her 23 children have successfully undergone corrective surgery and are reintegrated into society.
Azubuike said 6-year-old Emmanuel is still under observation to find out when he will undergo corrective surgery.