At sundown, after tackling the task of covering the column of Herald’s Art page when I was about to head home, at EPA’s gate, I came across a middle-aged lady looking for a journalist that could write an open letter to her on Addis Zemen Gazette so that higher officials at the Ministry of Education (MoE), which she could not manage to get for some reasons, address her problem.
Tears were trickling down her cheeks. “You better come tomorrow as most of the journalists that concluded the day’s work have just left,”
“Yes I should have come earlier. I came from the outskirt of Addis. We shifted from Abenet to Taffo recently,” she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
“But what is the pressing issue?” I eyed her.
“You see my daughter is deaf and mute. She was an intelligent girl and a top -ranking student. At elementary school level students of her liking with special needs were getting fair services. Also teachers conversant in sign language that know the respective subject matter were present for translation. But the assistance and services began to dwindle at high school level. Special need students, especially in preparatory school, observably, do not have relevant textbooks, references and teaching aids tailored for them. ”
“I see they struggle hard to go up the academic ladder!”
“Yes they are doomed to fight with one hand tied behind their back. You have got the point. How could they compete unlashing their potential to the full in the red hot school leaving exam?”
“How is your daughter currently performing at school?”
“Comparing her past and present performances she has turned diffident. She was about to dropout had I not implored her on my knees to fight to the finish.”
“Tell her the MOE has a policy that tilts the balance towards students living with disability and girl students who were suffering unfair treatments. Give me your phone number. I will inform your complaint to some journalists who adore addressing burning social issues. They could write articles or produce news out of your case.”
“Please do that as soon as possible,” she said.
“By the way there is an Ethiopian deaf blind lady acclaimed globally for outshining given her condition. I think her name is Haben Girma. She is an American disability rights advocate, and the first deaf blind graduate of Harvard Law School. Once Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. Tell this story to your daughter as the lady could serve her a role model.”
“You are right. I will scour the internet to get her address.”
“Yes she may be interested to establish NGO that works in the area by way of assisting the government in filling gaps.”
“How helpful that would be,” she put her arms on her heart.
Unfortunately days later when a journalist that was preparing news out of her case crunched her number to substantiate the news with interviewees he could not reach her. He used another interviewee. Later I learned, in a hurry, she forgot to grab her phone when she went out to report to duty.
I met her for the second time at the same spot. After exchanging greetings she said “the school leaving result is released. My daughter’s result is a tad lower than the qualification point. What am I going to do?”
“Do not worry MoE has promised a second chance of examination after a tutorial service for students whose grades clustered around the lower boundary. For sure she will make
it,” I expressed optimism.
When I met her for the third time it was with a sunlight stamped face she approached me.
“She made it as you prophesied!”
“Congratulations! How productive she is! With limited input she came up with a higher output! That is how individual productivity is established.”
“Yes we could not compare the results of those living with disability with that of those fighting in full shape. We have to learn to favor those fighting against all odds.”
This story made me to revert back and think about the poems I inked regarding fighting against all odds and emerging successful. I remember seeing firsthand a hand-deprived man making tables and chairs using his legs as hands. I also know a youngster in the same boat painting with his mouth.
Overcoming constraints like fertilizer, tractors and the like Ethiopia has emerged successful in bumper wheat production boasting quality wheat export.
Let me bow out with my poem I mentioned above.
Psychological dome
Forcing passersby
Curious for peep stand,
Swelling a throng
By every square
Or a roadside
Using his right leg
A nimble right hand
With the other holding
The artifact items hard
A hand-less man
Makes attractive tables
and stools
Hammering nails
and cutting woods
The way the task demand,
A task many normal people
imagine to handle hard.
Those who appreciate
his talent
Throw coins, Birr Notes—
A tip for his pocket,
While some buy
The artifact items
He puts up for market.
Aside from eking out
a leaving
He hits home
The psychological dome
“Disability is not inability!
In its domain there is
Room for productivity “
In a similar case
An art mentor
And an apprentice
Draw many a
wonderful picture
With his mouth
the latter
In a manner
Attention that capture
Hitting home “Some qualities
If deprived by mother nature
Other qualities man could nurture! “
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 9 SEPTEMBER 2023
