“FOR BEING DEAF, I LIVED IN A POLICE CELL”

I sign my name as Albert Iseyan – its funny how I got my second name, I was picked by police officers in Isinya town found in the expansive Maasai land near Kitengela, some 50 Kilometers from heart of Kenya ’s Capital City – Nairobi .
At that point, the police did not understand sign language and neither did I hear what they were asking, and because of my poor physical condition, and the fact that we could not communicate, they decided that it was much safer for me to live in the cells than leaving me in the cold streets.
Miracles happen, am told and I guess I am one of the living miracles. I adopted to living in the police lines and sleeping in the cells like a suspect criminal until one day angels from above visited me at the Isinya Police Station.
Two entrepreneurs with a philanthropic zeal, Fred Maina and Susan Mugwe who had just founded a school for the deaf in the district got wind of my sorry tale and decided to adopt me, but I needed a second name and so they taught me to sign Iseyan – an adaptation of the locality I had been found.
I had lived in the cells for quite sometime – and therefore when the two Angels came for me, its been a struggle adjusting from a hard life to living in the comfort of a decent school with my fellow deaf students making life seem like a butterfly – easy and flowing, unlike where I was in the past a cold police cells with no-one who understands me or whom I could communicate with.

Unfortunately, the two angels who have continued to take me and support me as one of their own are constrained and it is for this reason that I am appealing to you to help support my education and upkeep at the Model Centre for Deaf Education and Training .
I am convinced that your support to the school in either cash or kind can make a difference to my life and that of many like me who have not yet gotten this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in an environment that is friendly, homely and real.
I am in primary 5 and looking forward to making my mark in the annals of history, and this I can best make when I have gathered the basics of education.
You can post your contribution to:

School Fees Support fund,

Albert Iseyan,
Model Center For Deaf Education and Training ,
CFC Bank Account No. 0030023831,
UHMC Branch,
Nairobi , Kenya .

Deutsche Bank Trust Co. NY
Swift Code: BKTRUS33
Sort Code: 021001033

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

My names are Fatuma Bakari, I joined MoCeDET a year ago and I have enjoyed each moment at the school. But that unique and rare opportunity for me is now in jeopardy – I need to pay school fees or go back home and wallow in disillusionment
I am an orphan and I live with my aged grandmother in the coastal town of Mombasa unfortunately, she is now having difficulties in raising funds to pay my school fees and at the same time in meeting all my upkeep.
For a girl to be deaf in Kenya – a third world country struggling to come out of the pangs of harsh economic times and still healing from post election chaos, it is a double tragedy.
For many of the girls who are deaf like I am, going to school is but a pipe dream, a far fetched notion and therefore, when I got the opportunity to come and gather the little knowledge I could, I got very excited, and I have never looked back since. Understanding the intricacies of another language and being in a friendly and homely environment has made me so attached to MoCeDET that I can’t imagine myself not being in school any day and for any reason.
The MoCeDET management has been very supportive to me and those like me who are students in the school during these very hard times, but they also have their limitation and it is only through the support of generous and friendly people like you out there, that those of us who have financial limitations can actualize our dreams and aspirations.
It is for this reason that I wish to appeal to you for your support in helping me actualizing my dream in getting a decent education and have an equal chance in the job market in future.
You can forward/post your contribution to:
School Fees Support Fund,
Fatuma Bakari,
Model Center For Deaf Education and Training ,
CFC Bank Account No. 0030023831,
UHMC Branch,
Nairobi , Kenya .
Deutsche Bank Trust Co. NY
Swift Code: BKTRUS33
Sort Code: 021001033

MoCeDET - GIVING VOICE TO THE DEAF

We in MoCeDET believe that:
 The development of the whole child is essential and that each child has unique interests, needs and abilities.
 All children who are deaf can learn, achieve and be responsible for their education.
 A student’s positive sense of self is critical for school achievement and success throughout life.
 involved families are more effective advocates for their children.
 a cooperative partnership among the student, family, school and community is essential for student growth and development.
 Literacy skills are fundamental to student success.
 an academic program should be broad, challenging and individualized to promote a lifelong desire to learn.
 Acquisition of language must begin as early as possible at home and in school.
 Exposure to and experience with deaf culture will enrich the lives of students and their families.
 School community should embrace cultural diversity, a spirit of learning, mutual caring and respect.
 Competence with technology is integral to deaf students’ access to information and communication.

1. Academic achievement
Our goal is to provide an academically challenging educational environment for all deaf students in order that they leave school fully equipped to move successfully into college, other forms of postsecondary education, or the workforce and to become effective participants in, and contributors to, society. Deafness does not limit a child’s ability to achieve academically. Every student will get the benefit of our highest expectations. For our students to achieve high levels of academic achievement, we will use teaching approaches that are broad-based literacy i.e. linguistic, quantitative and cultural. We will strive to develop critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. Our diverse teachers and staff impact positively on student’s motivation to set their sights high. MoCeDET takes a proactive stance towards the academic achievements of its students, provides increased options for all students, and maintains high academic standards and expectations without regard to cultural, racial, gender or other stereotypes.

2. Family involvement
MoCeDET acknowledges parents or guardians as the ultimate decision makers in their child’s education because their intimate knowledge of their own child is viewed as a valuable and highly respected source of information. Family members are actively invited to express their views, questions, hopes and concerns. Our aim is to provide the kind of support, information and opportunities that help parents or guardians make informed decisions, develop effective communication with their deaf child, and become effective advocates who are knowledgeable about their child’s rights and their rights as parents or guardians.
MoCeDET works closely with parents or guardians as partners in guiding their child’s development and in identifying goals and outcomes for their child. We provide opportunities for them to participate in a wide range of activities throughout their child’s education that provides information about, exposure to, and comfort with all aspects of that child’s education, communication and socialization. Some of these include opportunities to learn KSL, receive information about deaf communities, exchange knowledge and interact with other parents or guardians. These are important components in the growth, adjustment, language learning and communication skills of both the parents, guardians and their deaf child.

3. Language and communication
MoCeDET recognizes the right of deaf children to utilize their innate abilities for language development. Through effective cooperation between home and school, our goal is to provide a linguistically rich environment for the acquisition of KSL and English, as well as to encourage the continued development of these languages at home. MoCeDET believes that visual communication is crucial to a deaf child’s linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional growth and must begin as early as possible at home and at school. This creates a positive sense of self and provides the foundation for each deaf child to acquire the high levels of proficiency in language and literacy needed for academic success. Such proficiency also empowers students to develop and utilize their individual abilities to communicate effectively through various forms of signed and written communication in a wide range of settings.
To acquire solid early language competence, deaf children need frequent and sustained interaction with people who use a language that is fully accessible to them. Family members, deaf peers and deaf adults whose primary language is KSL, play very important roles in promoting that competence. Well-developed English literacy is a critical factor in a deaf person’s full participation in society. A print-rich environment that provides early and meaningful experiences with text is an extremely important part of a deaf child’s education. MoCeDET ensures that deaf children are surrounded by books from an early age to develop the love of reading.

4. Student development
MoCeDET provides a challenging and supportive environment that fosters interdependent growth in students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. The students’ total development is enhanced through the integration of classroom and non-classroom experiences that actively involve them and that promote positive social interactions and effective work habits.
Students are encouraged to get involved in activities that promote decision-making, leadership, positive work habits, social interaction, promotion of democratic values and community service. The environment at MoCeDET provides an excellent milieu for teachers, staff and parents or guardians to work together in enhancing each student’s overall growth and development.

5. Diversity
MoCeDET affirms its commitment to value and nurture the diversity reflected in its students, families, teachers, staff and society at large. Through its instructional, student life, and support programs, students have the opportunity to learn accurate, comprehensive and non-biased information about diverse groups. Teachers and staff who reflect society’s diversity are highly valued and actively sought.
Every attempt is made to ensure that our curricula, instructional materials and publications reflect diversity and are non-sexist and free from bias. Teachers and staff work together to develop curricula that fosters critical thinking skills and promote empathetic interactions. They support students in becoming confident, knowledgeable citizens who actively challenge stereotypes, prejudices and discriminatory practices. Students are expected to live and learn in an environment that demonstrates respect, acceptance, appreciation for differences and communication needs. They will learn about their own cultural heritage and appreciate its uniqueness as well as the cultural heritage of others.
MoCeDET is committed to providing an environment where appreciation for diversity and healthy cross-cultural relations are reflected in all aspects of school life; where each student learns to communicate, associate, and participate in a diverse community and a pluralistic society.

6. Transition
MoCeDET will explore, implement and assess effective, comprehensive transition services that meet the individual needs of each student. This will be best accomplished through a coordinated set of activities that encompasses all major aspects of the transition from early childhood to living independently and participating fully in the community. Each student will be given opportunities to develop the skills necessary to successfully move into a variety of academic and non-academic environments by providing them with the knowledge and experiences to prepare them to move into job and career opportunities that capitalize on their preferences, interests and abilities.

Model Center for Deaf Education and Training: What we believe in

PHILOSOPHY & VALUE

“All learners should benefit from a friendly-environment which is sensitive to their needs and bolstered by high levels of professionalism, friendliness and respect for human rights.”

We educate and create awareness through linkages and collaboration with stakeholders to promote positive perception towards deaf education and culture.


GOAL

‘To strengthen deaf education and increase public awareness, appreciation and support for their advancement.”


OBJECTIVES

Develop deaf education programmes and disseminate information for various target groups nationally, regionally and internationally.
Strengthen deaf education capacity and extend to all deaf schools and communities.
Develop linkages and collaborations with stakeholders in education both within and outside MoCeDET.
Mobilize resources and funding for deaf education
Monitor and evaluate implementation of deaf education strategy.

Giving Hope to the Deaf

Executive Summary

The problem of communication between the deaf and the hearing is wide and real in our present society.
Given the grim facts on the literacy needs of the deaf and the need to include of the deaf in the development agenda it makes it needful and urgent to provide the necessary infrastructure for the education of the deaf and for the increasing of the sensitization of the hearing community into the plight of the deaf.
MoCeDET enters the scene to address this need by setting up the infrastructure for attainment of best education for the deaf and to teach Kenya Sign Language (KSL), to the hearing to foster better understanding between the hearing and the deaf in Africa.
MoCeDET also realizes the vastness of its mandate and therefore incorporates a trust to fundraise for its programmes and also for the support of less privileged students and development of targeted support projects for other like minded organizations in the region.

Problem Statement

According to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) – an international non-governmental body and UN spokes-organization for the deaf - the story of the deaf is a sad tale of abandonment. This gory tale is made more tear jerking when one is born in the developing world. Here are the disturbing statistics according to WFD:
1. Less than one-fifth of all deaf people in poor nations receive little if any education.
2. Most deaf people in poor nations cannot read their own name.
3. Most deaf people in developing nations cannot count to 10.
4. Unemployment rates in the deaf community are high.
4.1. Many developing nations deny basic human rights to their deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
4.2. At least 26 nations do not permit their deaf citizens to earn a driver's license.
4.3. A few nations have put legal limits on the rights of deaf people to marry and raise the family they choose.
4.4. Deaf people in some developing nations do not have the right to vote in elections.
Illiteracy levels among the deaf are alarmingly high and there hearing population has remained extremely ignorant of the plight of the deaf.
Hence the need for an institution to address both the basic and tertiary level education for the deaf while at the same time bridging the communication gap between the hearing and the non – hearing and also conducting research on the best and most efficient methods of learning where there is hearing impairment.

Right from the time when Kenya gained her independence from Britain in 1963, the participation of the deaf in the country’s socio-economic-religion and political set-up the deaf has been regrettably minimal.
They are completely shut out from the country’s democratic and development spheres. While in recent years friendly legislation and policy has been made to adequately cater for the needs of the disabled, little has been done to remedy the inequalities of the past let alone of the present. Though the number of the deaf has significantly grown in the last four decades, the infrastructure and facilities catering for them have not been commensurate to their needs.
The only time the plight of the deaf came into light was during the Constitutional of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC) deliberations, where it was noted:
“People with disabilities are unable to seek redress or challenge discriminatory laws and practices. Even when they are underpaid, overworked, harassed at places of work, denied opportunity to education, thrown out from public institutions, and denied the right to do national examinations lest their marks lower the national standing of a district, can’t seek redress for lack of money, unable to seek the services of interpreters”
After the CKRC came to an end with the 2005 Referendum, issues pertaining to the deaf and the disabled in general, were swept under the carpet. Sadly this is the reality, more than four decades since independence.
These are further compounded by lack of enough educational outlets and general awareness creation.