Larger Than I Developmental Foundation Pushes For Inclusivity For Children With Disabilities.

 

A group that takes care of children with disabilities in Baylesa State, Larger Than I  Developmental Foundation has called for inclusivity in the educational sector  and all round in  order capture those with disabilities.

Mummy  Olukemi Ogiemudia, the  President of the foundation speaking in Yenagoa on Tuesday in a Press Briefing to mark the Ten years anniversary of Larger than I,  regretted  that because of cultural and religious beliefs, children with disabilities are not wanted around.

Ogiemudia who once had a child with disability revealed that her son passed away   some years back prompting her to establish the foundation.

She  however thanked the Federal Medical Center Yenagoa for Partnering with the foundation pleading with the state government also to do same.

 She said:"We believe that none of the children wants to be left the way they are, we know very well that they didn't choose that way. Even their parents didn't choose it and therefore we know that with what God committed into our hands, we will be able to bring some solace to children and their parents."

"I'm still going through the pain and agony of the loss  of my son  that passed 19 years ago and 19 years down the line, we have a foundation already established for 10 years and we are here to celebrate and to acknowledge the goodness of God."

"Today larger than I has a center for children with disabilities and  an inclusive school for children with neurotypical brains. Our children mix together, they play together, they grow together to help each other and this is called inclusiveness, this is one thing we need in our society not just in schools."

"What we are pushing for is inclusiveness, that no child should left behind. That was the command I got from the Lord a few days after our son passed, He spoke and said go give solace to people that are in pain for their bundle of Joy."

 "There were challenges and  difficult times, even though difficult times are normal with man but when you have to take care of other people's children with such conditions, it is even more challenging especially when parents don't have enough knowledge."

 "So larger than I has come a long way. We have  gone to over 10 communities in this land, some in Rivers State and some in Edo state."

"Today, we have a collaboration with Federal Medical Center. We just signed the pact on Friday. Thank God for Federal Medical Center for being so magnanimous to give us 50% discount from all their medical bills and then 75% discount from all neurological surgeries."

"So if anybody is going to pay, they are only paying 25% of the cost I believe that is a milestone,.I believe that something that will keep children with disabilities from being snuffed out and from suffering unduely for conditions that they are not responsible for."

"And we believe that this will also help parents, we have some people who are already on the waiting line for Federal Medical Center intervention and services and we are so glad that we are there already."

 She said that the  ten years has given  the foundation  alot of experience adding that those working at the foundation  have a lot of  understanding of all the various disabilities.

 " Right now,  what we are doing is to push for the discrimination against persons with disabilities prohibition law, that law is so powerful and  our new dimension is to go into the corporate world and get people to understand this law because it has consequences, the churches, the mosques, the corporate organizations everyone that built a structure that excludes a person with disability can be fined at least 100,000  including jail term of 6 months."

"In the education sector, they are excluded even in the general society, they are excluded a person  who doesn't have communication for instance there is no provision in the hospitals  for sign language interpreter."

" Some of them have   learnt the sign languages but in the hospitals, they can't express themselves because the doctors don't understand them.

 "Larger than I do though it is large, cannot handle everything. There are people we are trying to encourage to take some aspects, it's a multidimensional field and we believe that if we have the corporation and collaboration of our different  governments, it will make it easier."

"There should  be teachers training because if there are no trained teachers, the children will keep being rejected and so even if there's  a law to say don't reject the child, what system has been put in place for the school to be able to manage the children they'll only just be there mopping. They can't flow because the teachers probably are not trained."

 "So we believe that  you as men of the press  are the voice of the people  and through your media houses, the benefits of inclusion will be realized in our state and even beyond." She said.