The founder and principal of the Educational Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ECBVI) is calling on government and other education partners to make available more teaching and learning materials for visually impaired persons at all levels of formal and non-formal education. Thomas Allieu made this appeal during an interview with Awoko where he revealed his story of failing to become the first blind Sierra Leonean lawyer at the Faculty of Law, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. As a child, Allieu went through the Milton Margai School for the Blind, the only primary institution in Freetown for the blind. He completed his first degree in history and political science through many hardships and struggles in 1999, then nurturing his lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer.
He added that the FBC library was not equipped with braille or electronic materials on law; that coupled with the negative socio-cultural beliefs in the country further impeded him.
During his law studies, he said there were no specific legislations designed for the rights and privileges of persons with disability in Sierra Leone. As a result, he said his hope was dashed and had to drop out of the legal field in the third year. “My poor background could not allow me to fight for my right to education and to continue my course elsewhere like other visually impaired in other countries.” However, all was not lost and he kept the flame alive of providing a centre for the visually impaired, which gave birth to the ECBVI in 2001.
Located at Grafton and registered with the education ministry, the centre offers various courses in formal and non-formal education. He noted that in collaboration with partners ECBVI created an all-inclusive educational environment where persons with disability can learn side by side with non-disabled persons, as a way of fighting discrimination and stigma and make young people better citizens in their various communities.
Amara Kargbo, Registrar at ECBVI, took Awoko on a conducted tour of the educational complex which has the only braille library and braille printing press, as well as an all-inclusive information technology lecture room, to promote the educational training of the blind and visually impaired on how to use computers and other digital devices using a screen reader software on MS Word, MS Excel, and an expensive software used to navigate the internet independently to help the blind acquire requisite skills to be competitive and employable. Unfortunately, Kargbo noted that out of 15 computers only 4 are in working condition, for a class of over 20 students.
According to Principal Thomas Allieu, the centre seeks to promote the rights, interests and empowerment of blind persons, the physically challenged including young people in deprived neighbourhoods, through an all-inclusive technical and vocational education certified by the NCTVA. AC/11/08/2020
By Ade Campbell