Call to focus on disability services

 PAPUA New Guinea needs more specialists in the field of disability services, 2015 Papua New Guinea Australian Awards alumni Belinda Sausi says.

Sausi, 31, from East Sepik, studied at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia from 2014-2015 for a Masters in Disability. 

She was a teacher for children with disabilities, under the National Department of Education’s Special Education Division. 

Sausi said that it was her passion to teach children and people with disabilities.

“I saw the Australian Awards application in The National newspaper in 2013, and I applied via the internet to study the programme,” Sausi said. 

She said she learnt a lot about disability and her knowledge in the subject had broadened. 

“I learnt a lot in the area of family, society, government support, the necessary support and services that should be available for families, education, and employment and to live successful lives in the community,” she said. 

She said people with disability had rights to employment, education, decision making; they should access transport and all services that able people have access to.

She had a reintegration proposal that she would give to the Australian team looking at such proposals for returning awardees so she could carry out her programme in the country. 

She said the Flinders University academic staff were supportive of her and the other students. 

She is encouraging Papua New Guineans to study in the field of disabilities in Australia and to make use of the opportunity that the Australian government provides through Australian Awards scholarships. 

Applications for the Australian Awards scholarship programme for 2017 closes today (Feb 29). 

The Australia Awards are a whole of government initiative bringing together scholarships and fellowships administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.