Disability is not Inability

:: KSDC IN A STRATEGY CRISIS:

KENYA SOCIETY FOR DEAF CHILDREN is in a serious strategy crisis. Ever since the departure of former director Mr. Ogutu, the important organisation went into a limbo. The organistion does not have a stratgy for its enormous manadate nor does it seem preparing for one.

The organisation is loosing out important responsibilities to adhoc organisations who are taking over responsibilities they cannot effectively steer. This has left deaf education and health in a chaotic situation without clear leadership.

KSDC needs a new Director. Sources say the former director was forced to resign due to what the Board claimed to be mismanagement. Mr. Ogutu went back to Maseno University as a lecturer and left KSDC in a condition that is wanting to say the least. But surely one year without a new director is also mismanagement.

The organisation has had one project for over three years! It currently has only one project funded by by the International Deaf Children Society (IDCS). The Project Report which is posted on the IDSC website begs on mediocrity. Thgeb Project targets to teach parents of deaf children sign language to improve the relationship between parents and their hearing impaired children. What is happening to one of the oldest deaf organisations in Kenya.

Is KSDC becoming irrelevant?

Kenyan deaf children have no access to FREE primary Education as yet 5 years from the time the programme started. The former KSDC director was the chair of a government effort to integrate the deaf into free education far back in 2003.

What tangible efforts are being made to improve deaf education within the resource limitations? Who is leading the necessary lobbing government for more funds to improve infrustructure for deaf primary education.

Why is there so many interested parties and no tangible breakthrough in schools for the deaf.

Structure Shakeup

KSDC board needs to appoint a new director. The organisations board cannot effectively run the organisation as it is happening now. Too much conflict of interest and lack of opportunity for scrutiny of what the chairman Mr. Karanja and his friends are actually doing.

The KSDC constitution is too weak with loopholes reminiscent of the local CBOs we see at the grassroots level community. The kind of constitution that serious funds would not be comfortable in.

Who is coordinating the disjointed efforts of the many stakeholders in the deaf education programming. Who? the Ministry of Education, KIE, KISE and NCPWD. Or is it the NGOs like Deaf AID or Peace Corps? oras it were nobody.

Strategic Re-evaluation.

We need to expand capacity of residential deaf schools to take more children and provide some quality education in kenya sign language. We need a more effective recruitment of teachers in these schools and the other units Countrywide.

KSDC was responsible for building and managing most of the current schools. whay has it taken so long to put up a school for the Deaf in Nairobi province? What happenned to the Danish investors who wanted to rollout a school within Nariobi. What is the strategic plan for KSDC for the next five to ten years.

What are we planning to build more secondary education schools. What are we doing to improve the quality and resources for courses in the vocational units? What are we planning about postsecondary education? What are we consolidating university education to build access to deaf students with institutional sign language interpretation costs.

We need better teacher training and supervision methods to ensure they are teaching. We need more ICT in deaf schools to produce more productive graduates who can compete in the modern world. With a KSDC that does not know its right from left hand when are the deaf children wake up in 21st century.

Networking to be more effective.

Parents of deaf childen are an important contributor to normal life for children with disabilities. It is important that the IDSC project not only succeed but in an expanded way. Parents need more direct help and support to take better care of their children. This should involve even an education on child rights within the children's ACT and the Persons with Disabilities ACt.

There for more networking with child rescue organisations in like CHILDHELPLINE to ensure children who dont go to school are identifed and reported for assitiance to be made. Such organisations need the support of KSDC.

Strategic fundraising

With a new Director and Strategic plan. The Management would then initiate a fundrasing plan that would see more funds going to cater for the high cost of FREE education for the Deaf in the existing primary schools. There are many in public and development community who would finance a clear deaf education programme within a clear disability education policy.

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