A central part of UDS’ Development Centre in Kamuli is our internet café, where we offer training in computer skills to various groups in the local community. One of those groups is deaf people, whose isolation and social exclusion can be overcome by learning to use computers and access the internet. This aspect of our work has received a major boost in recent months with the launch of a pilot scheme to offer formal group courses in ICT.
The opportunity came about thanks to a grant last year from one of our donors, a UK-based legal firm. It also came about thanks to the vision and initiative or one of our beneficiaries in Kamuli.
Elias Tabu is chairperson of the Kamuli Association of the Deaf. He undertook computer training with UDS back in 2005, and quickly understood the huge benefits for deaf people of the knowledge he acquired – both in terms of social inclusion and of future employment and business prospects. Elias had remained in close touch with UDS, so when last year’s cash grant came though he was quick off the mark to help us set up a pilot scheme which in the first year has involved 22 members of the community.
Elias provided crucial help in identifying the types of training needed, the potential beneficiaries from the local deaf community, and in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kamuli Association for the Deaf.
Then in December last year, our first two trainers – themselves deaf – undertook their training so they could in turn become trainers.
As a result the initial intake of six students, all still at school full time, began their training over the Christmas holiday period. They hope to resume their studies once the school year has ended.
A second class of eight young people embarked on their training in February of this year. They attend a local vocational centre for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, but as they are close by they have been able to continue attending regular IT classes at UDS, which will continue until June.
A third group of eight older trainees, in their 20s and 30s, is also meeting regularly. Whereas the younger trainees focus on basic computer skills and basic programmes such as MS Word, the older group is looking at e-numeracy, and the use of emails and chat programmes, particularly in relation to self-employment.
The benefits of the training scheme are clear. Elias Tabu says his own experience showed him that the avenues of communication made available by computer knowledge help the deaf fell much less isolated. Two of the trainees have already said they plan careers in the world of IT.
The challenges remain great. Frequent power outages are a constant source of disruption, and UDS needs to acquire more computers to accommodate a potentially growing number of trainees. But the plan is, depending on funding, to continue the scheme into a second year and give more deaf people access to a world that was previously closed to them.
