Ugochinyere Angelic Okereke is a visually impaired Doctoral student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and also the coordinator of Post-graduate Students with Disabilities at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). It is pertinent to state that the scholar’s visual impairment did not start from birth. With sight, she had her primary and secondary education, and with the aid of reading glasses obtained the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in English Language and Christian Religious Studies at the College of Education, Ebonyi State where she hails from. Without sight, she continued her first Degree in the Department of Arts Education, UNN. She is an academic enthusiast with lots of research publications to her credit.
Deborah Uzoma engages her on her educational challenges and advocacy in this interview.
Please, tell us about yourself?
My name is Ugochinyere Angelic Okereke. I am currently running a Ph.D. program in the Department of Arts Education, at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. My Area of specialization is English Education and my research interest is Inclusive Language Teaching and Learning. I am also the Coordinator of Post-graduate Students with Disabilities at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. Thank you.
What barriers do you face as a visually impaired scholar?
As a visually impaired student, I face lots of barriers. First, the nature of visual impairment demands that we read with either our sense of hearing or our sense of touch. With the help of technology, various software applications, and hardware devices, persons like me who are visually impaired can study. However, when these technologies are not easily accessed, it becomes disheartening. For instance, to carry out my research, I need to use my laptop, and make use of the screen reading software. When the Laptop battery is low and there is no electricity supply, it becomes a problem. The reading stops until the power supply is restored. With the way the power supply fluctuates in this part of the world, it becomes frustrating.
Furthermore, I find it challenging to access reading materials, this is because some lecturers do not fully understand what inclusive education means, especially as regards including persons with visual impairment. Some lecturers do not make provisions for soft copies for visually impaired students. They give illustrations on the board without minding the need to describe the illustrations. Again, most of them do not know that persons with visual impairments require extra time to perform class activities- submission of assignments and writing examinations.
As someone with visual impairment, a lot of diligence is required to stand out in one’s field of study; I barely sleep up to four hours a day, as I study almost all through the night just to meet up. All of these are to ensure I meet the academic demands and any available scholarship.
Another big challenge is the financial demand that comes with the education of persons with visual impairment. Training a visually impaired student is capital intensive. Our gadgets are expensive, and you must have all of them to enable you to meet up with academic demands. Undoubtedly, you must have a laptop with screen reading software, meaning that the Laptop’s specifications must be relatively high. You can imagine how much that would cost. You also need scanners to convert hard copies to soft copies. It takes time, energy, and money. Personally, I don’t have the resources to get all the gadgets needed. To scan a hard copy, I sometimes take my work to an NGO that scans works free for persons with disabilities and this may take a whole lot of time.
I also face environmental barriers: Most times, there is a lot of noise coming from students and noisy generator sets from nearby business centers, offices, and houses. That is why I chose to read more at night than during the day to overcome the distractions.
As the coordinator of Post-graduate Students with disabilities, what other scholarly activities and advocacy do you carry out for your group?
I devote my time to ensuring that the educational needs of persons with disabilities are met, such as the smooth processing of their admissions and accommodation on campus.
At the University level, the Dean of Students’ Affairs at UNN has accepted our proposal to include students with disabilities in Odili Post Graduate Hall Government. Also, we were assured that every 25th of November will be marked as Disability Day in UNN. We hope that all these will be implemented.
What would you like to tell the general public concerning education, job procurement, scholarships, political participation, and grants to persons with Disabilities?
First, there is a need for training and sensitization of the general public on the rights of persons with disability. Respect for these rights ensures equal access to education, employment, job procurement, scholarships, and political participation amongst other things. Scholarships, and Research/business grants, job offers, leadership positions should be made available by both Government and Non-Government bodies in such a way that it is easily accessible for persons with disabilities.
The school environment, teaching methods, and materials should be modified to suit the learning needs of persons with disabilities without compromising qualities.
Deborah Uzoma is a final year MA student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and she is very keen on capturing campus chronicles through interviews.
