‘Why I love taking care of people with disabilities’

Miss Laide Sekinat Afolasade is a young lady with a passion for the under privileged. For her, nothing else gives her fulfillment more than helping people with special needs. In this interview by OYEYEMI OKUNLADE, RACHEAL OLUSOLA and SEGUN ATIWAYE, she talks about her childhood and what spurred her interest people with special needs. Excerpt:

 

Tell us about yourself

Right from my childhood, I loved teaching so I worked towards it and now I have published three books. My first book was published in 2007 after the completion of my secondary school education while the other two were published in 2013 and 2015.  I had my first degree in Special Education in English and French in 2014 from University of Ibadan, in affiliation with Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, from where I also obtained my NCE certificate. On that campus, there were more people with special needs (the so-called disability) than any other school.

In April 2017, I was posted to Delta State for my youth service. I was posted to a regular school for my primary assignment but I wrote a letter pleading to serve in a special school and my request was granted. So, I was posted to a special school in Asaba. Interestingly, I was the first and the only corps member in the school.  I did a one-day community development service (CDS), targeted at educating people on what we call inclusion in Special Education. I invited people from various schools and I was glad they honoured my invitation.

 

What does inclusion mean?

It deals with how people could get to know and also manage person(s) with special needs in their schools if they have them.  The programme was reported by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and some Delta State-based media stations.  By the time I was passing out, I was given a governing board honour award and recommendation letter by the state governor.

 

What have you been doing since you finished serving your father land?

After my service, I waited a bit in the state I served and enrolled for some professional courses like Customer Service and Relationship Management, Project and Human Resources Management and General Studies Management. I passed my exams and came back to Ibadan. When I settled down, I told my mum that I wanted to work with people with special needs but the homes I visited do not do what I had in mind and there was a limit to what one could do since it was not my organisation. At that point, I thought of having my own advocacy group. Today, I have a place I am managing to take care of people with special needs.

 

As a student in SPED, what was your experience like?

When I resumed in the school, by my orientation about teaching. I was surprised to see physically challenged students attend lectures and do well like any other person. That was the day I made up my mind to be a special educator since it still goes in line with teaching. I started enjoying my experiences particularly, with course mates who were physically impaired, hearing impaired, etc and the special courses taken, to become a professional. I took up a challenge when I was in school to impact the lives of people with impairment having gone through series of training and having acquired knowledge in the field.

 

Why do you want to commit yourself to people with impairment?

I observed that not all of them have the wherewithal to go to school and for those who struggled to go; it would be difficult for them to get employed because of their physical challenges. So I decided to allow these people with impairment to benefit from the skills I acquired before I got admission so they could live independently. I make cardigans, soap, body and hair cream, dress and many other things which I teach them on a daily basis. By the time they sell product(s) they produce themselves, they make and this will put a smile on their faces them and also build their confidence.

 

After your NCE, did you work anywhere?

In 2012, I went to work with Bethesda Home for the Blind in Lagos. I was the secretary, Braille and government teacher because it was a new home. I was glad to work there as I brought joy to many faces. My experiences in Bethesda Home for the Blind elicited my passion to pursue a degree in Special Education which would enable me to have a platform to develop people.  That same year, I published another book that centered on Braille which is the tactile writing and reading system used by people who are visually impaired. That little act made them love me more.

 

So is your dream thriving now?

I mentioned earlier that I have a place that I am using to train my students vocations but not to my satisfaction yet because of limited resources. Most of them live with me so I take responsibility for their feeding and the like. I have contacted homes and individuals for assistance but a few responded especially after an interview on some radio stations.

I teach my students how to read and write. I also teach them how to make bags, shoes, hair cream, hair freshener and we have pictures of what we do.  We use the proceeds from our sales to get foodstuff.

 

How do you cope with training these people in spite of their disabilities?

Special people need extra attention, training and care. I make sure that I am close to them in order to discover their talents and also work on their skills; this also helps them to open up.  Believing in them is also key, as it brings them closer.  Students in the hostel are now 12 and I also have those who come from home. There are some in secondary school whose school needs I pay for I have up to 23 students in my care now.

 

What are your books all about?

The three novels are ‘Train up Your Child’ (2007), ‘What a Dynamic Life’ (2012) and ‘The Helping Hand’ (2016). These days, I don’t have time to move around to sell my books like before because of the people in my care. I have schools I sell to in Oyo and Osun states.

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