BY KNA’s Linet Wafula
The Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) has urged parents of children with various forms of disabilities not to hide them at home but instead enroll them in special schools.
KISE Dean of Students Mr Christopher Lengoris said the institute is currently carrying out a countrywide campaign to have all children with disabilities assessed and provided with the necessary support.
“Let us bring out these children so that they can be assessed and get placement in their respective special schools for them to have a bright future,” he said at A.I.C Kapsabet School for the Deaf.
The body was in Nandi County for two days to conduct free Assessment and Therapy services calling on administrators and education officials to help in identifying the children with disabilities so that they can be supported.
The Dean of Students blamed ignorance, drug and alcohol abuse, use of banned medical drugs, and traditional birth attendants as some of the causes of delivering children with disabilities.
He said the disabilities could be a result of prolonged labor, home-based deliveries, and failures by mothers to visit clinics during pregnancies, which could be avoided if proper medical care is done.
“Cerebral palsy, Autism, physical disabilities, and mental disabilities are neither curse nor forms of traditional beliefs but disabilities which needs proper care. Let us love and accommodate children abled differently in our society,” he said.
Nandi County Director of Education Harrison Muriuki said many parents continue to hide their children with disabilities due to stigma calling on local leaders to sensitize the parents on the importance of bringing them forward.
“KISE has a curriculum and institutions for all children with disabilities where they are taught and talents nurtured. We should bring them forward for assessment so that they can be placed in institutions that fit them instead of chaining them or locking them behind closed doors,” he said
Lincy Wafula, one of the parents who brought her 9-year-old girl for assessment said the journey of raising a child with a disability is not easy, it needs a lot of sacrifice and patience.
Wafula who delivered her girl at Busia District Hospital said her child suffered brain damage due to prolonged labour.
“It’s every wish for a mother to deliver a healthy child. I have taken her therapies and now I see this as an opportunity for me to find out which school fits her. We cannot keep them in the house forever. They need to interact and live a decent and normal life like other normal children,” she said.
According to records, Nandi County has over 23,000 people with disabilities out of which only 5000 have come out to publicly speak about it.