Meru Primary School Deaf Unit

All last week, the Duke students, Katie, and I worked at Meru Primary School doing LTP activities with the students during class.  Katie and I were fortunate enough to be able to work with the deaf unit. We were able to observe a class earlier in the program, so it was great to be able to return to do LTP projects with the students.  LTP works so well with deaf students because they naturally use pictures and visual interpretation in their learning.

During the week, we worked with standards 6 and 7 (age 11-13).  Some of them seemed older, however, which we learned was because there isn't really anywhere to go after primary school for deaf students.  In addition, some of the students also have intellectual impairments, so they stay at primary school for extra time.  To go beyond primary school, a student would have to "struggle a lot", I was told.  I'm guessing this means that deaf students who go on to secondary school either have to lipread or the family would need to hire a personal assistant to sign for the student during classes.  Both would be very hard!

Even at the teachers college that specializes in teaching special needs in Arusha, they are just now starting to accommodate teachers with special needs (i.e. deaf people who want to become teachers of the deaf).  There are 2 deaf teachers in the deaf unit at Meru, and I wish I was able to communicate with them to know more about their path to becoming a teacher. 

One of the student's self portraits by Mwajuma

Over the course of the week, they put together some amazing self portraits, which included a picture of their personal sign (which they use to quickly identify people instead of spelling out names), a drawing that describes them, and a picture of something they like to do.  They turned out really awesome!

Another self portrait by Fredrick

Another day, the students came up with a list of vocabulary words.  In groups, they taught each other how to use the cameras and then photographed each other making the signs to match the vocab words.  They then assembled them into posters, which will make great visual aids for the classrooms in the deaf unit.

A visual aid the students made

Some of the students pulled me aside to teach me different signs.  I practiced basic greetings and signing my name in sign language, which the students gave me the last time I came.  It was fun to be able to communicate with gestures and signs and not have to worry about knowing Kiswahili. I loved watching the teacher interact with the students and was amazed at how fluidly and quickly they were able to communicate.

The teacher giving direction to the students

Me doing my personal sign that the students at Meru gave me.  I think it means I have big cheeks :)

Word of the day: kanisa - church