Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Disability is Not Inability

Tuesday, July 3

Today the EHS team traveled from place to place, exploring each one of them with excitement. First, the group of Episcopal students divided into groups f two and packed into the Muttatu to pick the Moding students who would be paired with the individual teams. Thereafter, the teams drove to the LWK HAHA market in Uganda. When we arrived, we split up into our groups to shop for groceries. It was an oppurtunity to practice our haggling skills against the Ugandan venders. After traveling through back alleys and searching for the best prices, all the groups met up in the center of the market to show what each team had bought. The group ended driving off with two chickens (one of which my group had bargained for), onions, tomatoes, avocados, and bananas. The experience of the market was a true Kenyan (and Ugandan) experience.

 

The team of students and our Moding counterparts then traveled to the Kakamer Primary school, a division of which was dedicated to special needs students. Both the EHS and Moding students took a tour around the school, visiting the classrooms and facilities. The tour of the school concluded with the visit to the special needs class. Finally, the group of visiters traveled outside the school to the hopeful site of what the principal says will be a special needs school only. One that will have faculty specially trained and facilities specifically attuned to the needs of special education students. As we returned to the school, the school gathered for formal introductions of our visit. Preceeding the introduction of the teachers was a welcoming speech by the principal. The EHS students and faculty were then invited to intorduce ourselves in front of the whole school. Reverend Zach Drennen (Director of the Elawana Education Project) then put the Episcopal team on the spot for a song preformance in front of the whole school. We sang, much to Zach's comical delight, "One Body" as led by Gideon Pollach. His booming voice and enthusiasm surely saved the song.

 

Our song was answered by a poem and song by the Kakamer students. The poem talked of disability as not bein an inability, appropriate to the reason of our visit. It was truly heartening and illustrated these students amazing understanding of thier special education classmates. The song that followed was a song of general hapiness and somewhat lightened the mood. However, the poem stil remained in the hearts of the EHS students and faculty. EHS's final response was a children's story read by Mrs. Douglas and assisted by Stuart Agnew on the character puppets. The book was th "Hungry Little Catipillar". The excitement Mrs. Douglas and Stuart read with brought the Kakamer students to laughter and "hurrays". On behalf of Episcopal High Shcool, we then presented the Kakamer students and the Kakamer special education sutdents with gifts. Theses gifts consisted of colored pencils, books, soccer balls, and other various school supplies. We left the school feeling enriched in every sense of the word.

 

From there, we went back to Moding High School to compete against the Moding students in a typing contest. The program was Mavis Beacon, and after all students who had participated reported thier scores, it was apparent the most skilled typer was Stuar Agnew at 79 words per minute. Although EHS "out-typed" Moding, it was all in the spirit of good fun and a wonderful way to end another great day in Kenya.

Edward Wickham

 

1 comment:

  1. Stuart should have no problem typing her college papers with such speed! Wish I could have been there to hear and see the Hungry Catapillar reading! Sounds like an unbelievable experience. Thank you Douglas family and Gideon for taking our students!

    Happy 4th to all of You! Still trying to restore power here in places and a comfortable 94 degrees today!

    The Agnews

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