Since Easter Monday was a holiday, classes were not in session at the School For The Deaf in Savelugu, but all 400 students (ages 5-18) who board there seemed glad for the diversion of our visit.
An hour's ride from Tamale in a fully packed tro-tro brought us to the sprawling compound of the school where we toured the classrooms, dormitories and large dining hall.
I especially enjoyed interacting with a group of teenage girls who definitely inspired me to re-explore my limited knowledge of sign language. They were eager to communicate, ask questions and share their thoughts.
One sobering fact we learned on our visit concerned the ineffective use of most of the hearing aids which had been donated and distributed to the students a couple of years ago. No one was wearing aids. Without a full-time person to oversee adjustments and repairs, the widespread fitting of aids here does not seem practical. For those particular students, however, who can be identified as having the potential to benefit from amplification, a well supervised program could be productive and rewarding.
An hour's ride from Tamale in a fully packed tro-tro brought us to the sprawling compound of the school where we toured the classrooms, dormitories and large dining hall.
I especially enjoyed interacting with a group of teenage girls who definitely inspired me to re-explore my limited knowledge of sign language. They were eager to communicate, ask questions and share their thoughts.
One sobering fact we learned on our visit concerned the ineffective use of most of the hearing aids which had been donated and distributed to the students a couple of years ago. No one was wearing aids. Without a full-time person to oversee adjustments and repairs, the widespread fitting of aids here does not seem practical. For those particular students, however, who can be identified as having the potential to benefit from amplification, a well supervised program could be productive and rewarding.
1 comment:
Seems like such a simple remedy but I'm sure finding someone with the proper training and having the financial resources to maintain the hearing aids is quite complicated if not impossible. Regards Ann Garnett
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