Sure Prospects was not what I expected at all, it was a very
inspiring school under an avocado tree. I was pleasantly surprised to find that
all of the abled and disabled children were intermixed in classes; there was no
separation between students due to disabilities. Francis is such an inspiring
person that the rest of the world would be lucky to have someone with such
innovative ideas to reduce the stigma. In the US, students who have
disabilities are included in the school buildings but they are kept completely
separate from the abled bodies in the school. What Francis did was combine
everyone so there was no separation based on abilities, everyone helped
everyone and everyone actively learned intellectually while learning to help
and accept everyone. If the rest of the world could follow this model, it would
dramatically decrease the stigma behind having a disability and at the same
time help produce a more inclusive society.
Popular Posts
-
A few days ago, we visited our first school in Uganda! As an education major, this greatly excited me. It was raining in the morning and a b...
-
Students and Faculty from Drake will be returning to Kampala in May, 2010! The faculty are excited to return to Uganda and see our friends ...
-
The Drake University faculty and student participants in the 7 th annual Sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa study abroad program depart... -
Traveling to the Ndere Center, we were able to learn traditional music, dance, and drama in Uganda. We learned about the three different typ...
-
Everyone is finishing final exams and busy packing for our departure to Uganda in one week. The professors are looking forward to seeing al...
I completely agree! I think it would be incredible if the US and other countries could adopt this inclusive design. I found it incredible that all of the students and teachers know sign language. I think it should be something that all people learn to make it easier for deaf individuals to communicate in a hearing world.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I really enjoyed the trip to sure prospects. As a future pediatrician, and just a lover of children in general, I firmly believe that every child, regardless of handicap, deserves to receive an education so that they may one day be able to achieve their dream. That is EXACTLY what Francis is doing. The reduction of the stigma of being disabled not only gives those children with disabilities hope for a better life, but take a moment to consider the effects it may have on the non-handicapped children. These are completely normal children, without handicap, that will grow up to contribute in Ugandan society. Thanks to their education at Sure Prospects, these people will be advocates for hiring persons with disabilities based on their qualifications as a person, not just for an easy tax break.
ReplyDeleteI really loved Sure Prospects as well! I believe that the inclusive model will prepare both abled and disabled kids for life in the real world where they will encounter people from many diverse backgrounds. I think the work done at Sure Prospects is amazing and I hope they have the ability to expand to a second primary school, a secondary school, a vocational school, or even someday a university.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily agree on intermixing abled and disabled kids in school systems mainly because they require different styles of learning. For example a blind kid would have all his material in brail, whereas an abled kid would have it written normally. I think it would be more efficient for both types of students to be in separated classrooms so that the teacher can give them more attention based on their different styles of learning. Instead of intermixing abled and disabled students to decrease stigmas against disabled students, Uganda should simply raise awareness on common disabilities just like America does. Fred was telling us how abled people rarely know anything about disabled people due to a lack of awareness. With an increase in awareness and appreciation for disabled students, comes more respect and a decreased stigma towards them.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the intermixing of children in the schools was very inspiring. This teaches the children about the importance of diversity and prepares them for the diverse situations they will face in the real world. Fred was extremely inspiring and should be an example that others follow.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the intermixing in the classroom may be difficult because every child is learning at a different level and the teachers may pay less attention to students that don't have a disability. That being said, I definitely think what Francis is doing at Sure Prospects is innovative and inspirational. He is empowering students to realize the capabilities they do have, and encouraging them to use them to help each other. I think it's a lesson we can all learn, that no one has it all, and we can use our strengths to fill in the gaps of others weaknesses. If Americans could look at the way Francis is not settling for what the system already has to offer, I think they could be inspired to push the boundaries of our system as well. The fact that he's teaching this generation to accept everyone regardless of physical or mental abilities makes me incredibly hopeful for the future of disabled persons in Uganda.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely Francis is doing amazing work at Sure Prospects. I agree that he is for sure reducing the stigma with disabled people by combing both disabled and abled students together. I do agree that if the world adopted this there would be less stigma with disabled people, but do not feel as if it would fix it completely. More than students must be educated and exposed to disabled people. But the education of students will create positive change for the future. Hopefully Francis can expand what he is doing, and also more schools in Uganda and the world will adopt the mentality that he has.
ReplyDeleteI also was amazed by what Francis has accomplished at Sure Prospects. To develop such a thriving and unique school in Uganda is truly an accomplishment. It was inspiring to me that he has brought his idea of mixing disabled and abled kids in class to life. Currently they have 160 of the 480 students that are disabled, this results in a 3 to 1 ratio. The mixing of both of these groups teaches the students to be accepting and work together to accomplish tasks. This could be implemented in the U.S. and would help dissolved some of the social barriers between these two groups. I also enjoyed being able to play soccer (football) against the team from Sure Prospects. This was the best workout I have had in years and was very fun. The team that we played was very good and I can see why they win lots of tournaments.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm positive that everyone one the trip was inspired and amazed with the work that Francis is doing at Sure Prospects. Creating a model which intermixes able-bodied students and disabled students is far more beneficial than separating, like in American schools. Besides that, the quality of education he's providing those children is incredible. He also acts as a semi-orphanage for kids without a home. It would be great to see what can be done in regards to a secondary school and potentially a university for these kids, so that way he can be sure that the disabled students received education within all levels. But it seems that it might be more practical to first expand and improve the primary school, make that more sustainable and then try to pitch for donor support with the ventures of a secondary school. Only time will truly tell if Francis will be able to do so, but I'm sure that if he begins to try to connect with some philanthropers in the more developed countries, than we will surely achieve his dreams. Perhaps reach out to Patrick Bitature, and receive some consultation. The possibilities are truly endless for Francis.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the trip to Sure Prospects was so enlightening! While we were there I was so sad to learn, from Ben, that Idi Amin had previously rounded up children who had disabilities and left them to the crocodiles. At home I work with adults who have autism, so everyday I see how amazing they are and all the wonderful things they have to offer society. It has taken a long time for the US and other developed countries to figure out how to better incorporate disabled people into society, so it is no surprise that Uganda has struggled with this as well. Francis has come up with an amazing system that is helping the disabled and helping to teach the younger generations how to work with and understand those who are different from themselves. Hopefully Francis can continue and expand upon his work, and others will follow in his footsteps to help Uganda develop an inclusive society.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that students in the U.S. would benefit from mixing classes of abled and disabled children! In most schools, the students are segregated and there is absolutely no socialization between the (mentally) differently abled kids. Implementing a national initiative to desegregate the school system would help to eliminate the stigma and lead to a better understanding of disabilities. Also, as Francis said, it prepares the children for life in "the real world," where they will interact with differently abled people. This applies especially to the children with disabilities, who will be better prepared for higher education and later the workforce.
ReplyDeleteMine is more of a lesson. I loved the motivation of Mr. Francis towards achieving his dream. Indeed a dream never dies. He got his idea in 1998 and implementation was in 2000 under ovacado tree. What an effort! We all need a positive perspective to be eble to provide solutions to ever increasing challenges in this global world. Doing something that benefits the society is what we need mostly in current situation. There is a saying that disability does not mean inability. What impressed me most was that the pupils with disability perform better than abled pupils. FRANCIS is enabling the future of the young ones and closing the gap between cultural boundaries and perception towards the disabled. Bravo Francis. We now need collaboration from natives
ReplyDeleteWith 160 pupils with special needs at sure Prospects,Francis really has tried to bring up these children and also change the societies view of these children. with threats of being arrested, he did not give up on his dream to fight for justice for the children with specials needs that they too have a right to education.
ReplyDelete