It All Started When My Mom Met My Dad...

          It has been many years since a lot of people have been engaged in working with people with disabilities with the goal of fighting for the inclusion of people with disabilities at all levels of the Haitian society. Yes, we do not ignore that a lot of exploits has been made, such as establishing a specialized office within the government for the defense of people with disability, and developing laws to promote their integration, just to name that. This fight puts us at the start of a long journey. We understand that we need to work much more in harmony to achieve our goals of total inclusion of people with disabilities at all levels of our society.

          The findings are truly glaring with regard to the education of children with disabilities because the scales are not at all balanced. Indeed, the results of a survey carried out in 1998 by the adaptation and School Support Commission (CASAS) led by the Ministry of National Education reported that only 23 specialized schools and rehabilitation centers are available for a population of 11.45 million with only 1.7% with children with disabilities enrolled in school. Ten years later in 2008, the schooling rate of people with disabilities increased to 3.5% compared to 70% of non-disabled children who go to school. This fact has already shown us the number of children with disabilities who do not have no access to education. The 2021 World Report on Disability, produced by the World Health Organization, reveals that 93 to 150 million children today live with disability in low-income countries.

Another report on Generation Learners published in 2016 estimates that 33 million children with disabilities are not in school. In Haiti, stigma, discrimination, and lack of data make access difficult and exacerbate the problems. For the moment in Haiti, when we visit schools, we realize that we do not see children with crutches or canes, we do not even see children speaking in sign language. This is yet another piece of evidence that shows us that the vast majority of children living with disabilities still do not have access to education. It is therefore urgent to plan schools for all children by answering those questions:

1. When we think of school, do we imagine children with disabilities?

2. Are school facilities accessible to all students?

3. Are the teaching materials adapted to the needs of each child?

4. Have the teachers received training in the use of appropriate equipment, and know how to support children for each of their needs?

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          These questions touch on most things that needs to be included when planning inclusive education for people with disabilities. This is a global imperative in response to the situation of those children, who constitute the most marginalized group in terms of education.

We have seen the obstacles that children with disabilities need to overcome to access education, and it is overwhelming. For example, visually impaired children who have difficulty finding good support because of teachers who have not been trained for this despite their will. We face the same difficulty for hearing impaired children, who have communication barriers, these children have to fight to integrate and it is for them to adapt, often they do not receive the necessary materials to learn easily. These difficulties limit them and constitute a drawback to the development of their abilities, which prevents them from succeeding at school. This leads them straight to discouragement and poverty. When we look at the number of people excluded from our traditional education system because they have a disability, we have a thousand reasons to demand a school for all. The inclusion of those students is important and part of the fundamental rights of children.

We should not consider inclusive education as a challenge but as an opportunity.   By coming together as organizations and institutions, we will not only open up the ability to reach out to previously excluded children but also promote social cohesion to allow all children and adults to appreciate diversity.

 

Here are our recommendations to support the evolution of inclusive schools in Haiti:

1- The government must have a special budget for the adaptation of education for all.

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2- The Ministry of Education should open significant data collection throughout the territory to identify and locate children living with disabilities.

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3- An awareness campaign should be carried out in schools, churches, market place, etc.

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4- The Ministry of Education should strengthen teacher training by including specialized education modules from early childhood to adolescence, and adult life

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​5- Adapt and make available school materials to all children, depending on their disability.

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6-The worrying and insecure situation affects many people of the Haitian society. Parents do not have the economic means and the stability necessary to send their children to school, and children with disabilities suffer more from this situation. It is important that they be granted scholarships to facilitate the parents to send their children to school. It is also necessary that specialized schools obtain subsidies to be able to maintain their work and staff.

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Building a strong and inclusive society must be our first ambition since such a society will make education possible and accessible to anyone living with a disability.