A child with disability is not cursed and they can reach full potential if given equal opportunity with others, a children expert has said.
Speaking at the Naivasha Disability Resource Centre on Thursday during a price giving day at the institution, Anne Anyango from the National Centre for People with Disabilities expressed concern at the number of children with disabilities being hidden from the society because of their physical condition.
She called on the society to take up the initiative of sensitising parents with such children on the importance of giving them equal opportunities. She added that a majority of them were suffering in silence because of being locked up in deplorable conditions. She said some seclusion has led to death.
“Some parents are still living in traditional perceptions that such children are a bad omen or are cursed. Those days, such children were killed immediately the condition was noticed but nowadays, disabled people have proven excellence in different spheres of life,” she said.
According to Anyango, accepting the condition is the first step towards making the victim accept the reality of the condition leading to positive growth.
“These children require specialised care 24 hours. Don’t be ashamed of them despite the condition. Any child is a blessing from God,” she advised.
The Naivasha centre is home to more than 150 such children a majority of who attend different special schools across the county thanks to donors in collaboration with the national council of persons with disabilities.
When closing school, and all the students report to the centre where a prize giving ceremony is conducted. The ceremony is to celebrate, motivate and award best performers while at the same time challenging and encouraging others.
The Christian-based centre is tailored to the general believe that indeed ‘disability is not inability.’