Being her pillar of strength and, the essence of her existence, she has been supporting her daughter perseveringly and diligently to achieve her goal. Resisting the impediments and challenges that her daughter has to go through in her academic journey, she has helped her to reach where she is now- to excel academically and graduate with distinction.
No matter how exhausting it is, her mother has been straining efforts and exerting utmost energy to enable her daughter to succeed in her academic life. For the reason her daughters health is affected due to a disease known as Dyskinetic/Athetoid Cerebral Palsy- an illness that controls muscles and limit the movement of the whole body arms, hands, feet, or legs as well as difficulty in speaking,- she has paid all the necessary sacrifices to see this day.
“I taught and graduated my daughter, with distinction. I have been pushing my daughter’s wheelchair for the past four years. Those four years were like four days for me. I feel nothing; but delight. The years have been the best ones of my life,” said Ehete Bekele, mother of Yordanos Werotaw, a disabled girl assisted by a wheelchair but graduated with academic excellence.
As Ehete stated, her daughter has an injury that prevents her from moving her body by herself. However, she does not allow her physical limitations to cast its ugly shadow on her daughter, let her stay at home and blur her future. Making herself all of the time teacher, advisor, helper, and friend, and doing the impossible, Ehete has done what she can to the end. Of course, this has been the activity; she has been doing it for a long time.
And today, both have reaped the fruits of their commitment and hard work – Yordanos graduated from the Addis Ababa University, Department of Psychology with distinction. By breaking the ‘she cannot do’ attitude of the many people, and excelling in her academic performance, Yordanos can make a name for herself.
Throughout Yordanos’s four years education in the university, Ehete was in the classroom with her. Being by her side and writing the lectures for her, she taught her. As she mentioned, because their house is far away, they used to get up early in the morning and start their journey to the university. They did this for the past four years. “I highly admire Yordanos’s skill in reading and her cleverness in remembering what she read. My daughter is intelligent,” Ehete said.
Mentioning that Yordanos pursued her education till grade 12th with the support of her nannies, Ehete said: “I have stayed for the last four years with her in the university to testify her capability and her ability to manage it.” Their determination, commitment and hard work to achieve such a success, is not only giving lessons for those people with some types of physical limitations and able bodied students but also for families who are raising children with disabilities.
She also expressed her joy because her daughter, who was said to be incompetent, has disproved the narration and attained her goal. Her strength and success, apart from being role models for others, will create an opportunity for those children locked behind doors.
Ehete reflected her impression to EPA at the time the Addis Ababa University graduated more than 8,600 students in various fields of study at the Millennium Hall, and of which one is her daughter, Yordanos. In fact, Addis Ababa University also made the cover of the graduation ceremony invitation card the picture of the two heroines- Yordanos and her mother to honor their efforts – and published Yordanos’s success.
According to Ehete, Yordanos has gone through a number of challenges because no one put trust in her performance. Even when her parents took her to be enrolled in schools, and the schools’ administrators learned about her achievements; from her certificates, they did not want to accept the fact, thinking that it was someone else’s report card. The only thing they wanted to be sure of her competence was through providing exams and assigning their own invigilators. And always, she has proved her ability by scoring the highest marks.
Leave alone in her primary education, Yordanos also attested her ability through scoring 91.3 and 3.8 percent in her grade 8th and grade 10th exams respectively. And her passing mark in the grade 12 exam was 458. She has never gone through affirmative action, she remarked. “Yordanos has broken the “she cannot do” attitude of the many people by scoring the best and excelling in her academic performance,” she reiterated.
Even now, people may doubt her ability because of her physical impairments. However, physical limitation does not restrain one from realizing his/her dream if he has a bright mind, firm stance and mainly if he/she is not influenced by people around them, particularly those who are attempting to discourage them, Ehete added.
More than anything else, having strong-willed, committed parents is decisive as their contribution is irreplaceable, she said. Parents should accept their children’s limitations and strive to improve their future. “I want to extend my advice to others. Let us stop saying to our children “you cannot do that.” Rather, Let us accept them as they are; let us be their moral and strength to do what they want and even to go beyond.
Let us not be discouraged by what others may say. Instead, let us be patient and give them time and energy. Let us say to them ‘Yes, you can.’ If we guide them, give them the necessary support, and opportunity, there is nothing that they cannot do because everyone has his own talent. They can be scientists, painters, artists and the like,” she opined.
Mentioning the stereotypes that are attached to people with some type of disabilities as if they are curses from God Ehete said that instead they are blessings; and opportunities that the miracle of God is witnessed. In fact, they need the day to day support of their respective families
She also expressed her wish to see the rights of disabled people are ensured. There are a number of disabled people in Ethiopia. Seeing these people benefitting from the amenities they deserve is what I aspire most, she highlighted.
BY ELIZABETH MENGISTU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY 23 JULY 2023
