By GUY LE FANU and JAMES AIWA
Universities should be should be open to everyone with
academic ability, irrespective of age, sex,
socio-economic background or any other factor. This is
certainly the view held by teachers at the University of
Goroka.(UOG) One way the University is putting this into
practice is by creating a more welcoming environment for
people with disabilities. In this article, we will
discuss the experiences of two disabled students and a
disabled teacher at the institution.
Martin Kawage is the only blind person at present
attending a university in Papua New Guinea.
Born in Simbu, he lost his sight as a result of a
childhood accident. He then studied at Mt Sion Centre
for the Disabled, Faniufa primary school, and Goroka
Grammar School, before being accepted by the University
of Goroka to study for a Diploma in Special Education.
Martin, accompanied by his assistant Dominic Umba,
attends the same classes as the other students. He
participates fully in class activities. When the teacher
asks a question, his hand shoots up, and the other
students nod in agreement as he answers the question
thoughtfully. While other students are busy taking
notes, Martin is recording the lecture on a handheld
tape-recorder. When he has to write an essay, he uses
his laptop computer. The computer has a special
programme installed in it which allows him to listen to
what he has written. Test papers are brailled out for
him by the Braille Production Unit at Mount Sion Centre
for the Disabled.
Braille is the reading and writing system for blind
people. It consists of a series of raised dots on a
piece of paper. The dots represent various groups of
letters. Blind people run their fingers along these
raised dots and convert the dots to words.
Martin is grateful for all the support he has received.
For instance, Bob Howarth, former managing director of
the Post Courier, covers the costs of his studies, and
The Royal Society for the Blind in South Australia has
given him a talking watch. But the university is also
grateful to Martin. One of his tutors noted, 'I've
learned such a lot about teaching blind people since
I've had Martin in my class.' And one of his classmates
observed, 'I used to think disabled people were
different. I now realize they're just the same as you
and me.'
Another person with disabilities is Francis Kompaon, a
first year Humanities student. He comes from East New
Britain where he studied at St Mary's Catholic High
School, one of the top sporting schools in the country.
Although he was born with one arm, this never stopped
him doing what he wanted to do - whether it was climbing
coconut trees or playing touch rugby with his friends!
Francis is one of the top ten athletes in his class in
the world. His fastest time for the 100 metres is 11.38
seconds. For the 200 metres it is 23.22 seconds. He has
been selected to represent Papua New Guinea at the
Para-Olympics in Bejing, where he hopes to win a gold
medal. In order to achieve this, he follows a demanding
training regime. This involves getting up at crack of
dawn to run round the track at the National Sports
Institute and then training for a further two hours in
the afternoon. At the moment he is focusing on building
up his 'speed endurance' - the ability to accelerate
past competitors in the closing stages of a race.
Francis enjoys studying in the Highlands, although he
misses 'the fresh sea from the sea, pulled out from the
sea to the pot.' He strongly believes that disabled
people can achieve anything: 'Ol i ken mekim ol yet.'
Joel Silas is a Mathematics tutor at the University of
Goroka. In high school, he achieved a Distinction in the
Australian Mathematics Competition and full marks in his
Grade 10 Mathematics examination, putting him among the
top half dozen students in the country. He has a
Bachelors degree from the University of Papua New Guinea
and hopes to study for a Masters degree in Australia or
New Zealand. He also happens to have a hearing
difficulty.
Seeing him teach, you realise that Mathematics comes to
him as naturally as breathing. He effortlessly covers
the whiteboard with signs and symbols while his students
observe and take notes. When he finishes, he asks them
if they have any questions. When they speak, Joel is
able to understand what they are saying because he wears
a high powered hearing aid and is a skilful lip reader.
Joel then clearly explains the mathematics concepts that
are causing them difficulty, expertly using the
whiteboard to demonstrate what he means.
Despite these successes, the University of Goroka is not
complacent. We know we could be doing more. Over the
next few years, we will be providing better support for
people with disabilities at the university.
We also want to increase the enrolment of these people,
particularly women with disabilities.
But, in the words of Chairman Mao, 'Even the longest
journey starts with the first step.' The University of
Goroka has taken the first step and is steadily
advancing towards its goal of becoming an institution
that is open to everybody.
*Guy Le Fanu and James Aiwa are lecturers in
Special and Inclusive Education at the University of
Goroka. Guy Le Fanu is employed by CBM, an NGO which
works with people with disabilities throughout the
world.
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