As a mirror of society, the media has been challenged to help society understand that learners living with disabilities are normal human beings through providing proper information on their lives.
Fred Haga, the Director Special Needs Education at the Ministy of Education (MoE) who was speaking during the Kenya Special Needs Sports National Championships in Kericho County, said the media plays a critical role in highlighting the activities of learners with special needs.
He said through reporting the events during such sporting activities featuring the special learners, the media was empowering the public with greater understanding of learners with special needs.
Haga who despite living with visual-impairement rose through the ranks to head the special unit in the State Department for Basic Education lamented that people living with disabilities are often cast out as misfits in a world full of opportunities for everyone with disregard for their abilities.
“The government is giving money to special needs schools including facilitation to participate in sports in the spirit of affirmative action to bridge the inequality gap witnessed in the past. We cover them and show the world that they are able,” said Haga
He challenged the media to mainstream disability as a way to inculcate a culture of acceptance of people living with disabilities in the society including reaching out to potential sponsors who can change the misfortunes of the marginalized groups.
The iconic leader, though living with disability, reiterated that regular sports get popularity since they get airtime on mainstream media unlike special sports, sending a sense of displeasure, discrimination, hate and dislike among hardworking learners with special needs.
Complaints on media bias on some unpopular aspects of life contribute to their detriment and extinction since society does not recognize people who are not mainstreamed on main media thus the call for affirmative action communication strategies.
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Francis Manyala, the National chair Special Needs Association, said the government has tried to regularize special needs sports with its limited resources.
Manyala observed that the country was well represented in the special needs sports despite the Eastern region recording the least number of participants to the national championships citing lack of funding.
“We want to join the debate and the immense sports fan base that special sports are equally as great as the regular in fact better since these are people trying to prove their worth despite prevailing physical and mental challenges,” he said.
He argues that there are special needs schools teams that are champions and very tough just as the regular sports teams. Media is a good channel for marketing these teams to even get sponsorship which they have been grappling with for ages considering the costly equipment required for special student’s sports.
“We do not have serious sponsors for special needs sports unlike in regular where sponsors lineup to be considered with some being left out since the budgets for regular sports is met and exceeded,
“ We appeal, beg and invite those potential sponsors to lend a helping hand in the noble course to enable special needs learners feel accepted and supported to engage in normal activities without unnecessary anguish of sporting with harmful equipment or lack of equipment and uniform among other areas of interventions,” said Manyala.
The National special sports chair noted Teacher coaches and Referees should participate in clinics that serve as refresher courses to update them with new information including rules and regulations in sporting sustainably. The clinics need to be planned and funded but budget constraints curtail their practicality in special sports hence they are held casually for a few hours before the events which is unfair to the coaches and referees some of whom also live with disabilities.
Manyala noted that special needs learners are seriously disadvantaged. Most people don’t know that these special needs learners are very talented and participate in activities just like regular learners.
By Our Correspondent
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