Flavia Nakagwa
28 February 2008
Kampala — THE policy of free education at primary and secondary schools have not benefited deaf children, an MP for people with disabilities, has said.
Alex Ndeezi, a representative of the central region who is also the director of the national association for the deaf, noted that mainstream schools lacked sign language interpreters while no efforts had been made to build more schools for the deaf. He was speaking on Monday during a seminar in Kampala.
Ndeezi pointed out that many deaf people were semi illiterate and this was blocking their access to opportunities for higher education and employment.
"Schools for the deaf are very few and yet most teachers in the formal schools do not know sign language," he said.
"Even in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the deaf do not have access to health information especially in the rural areas where it is broadcast in audio and some written."
Ndeezi, however, commended the national examination body for providing interpreters for deaf candidates during exams.
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