8 hearing difficulties and communication
Before I tell my own story, you must first know about
Nicaragua, the country in Central America where I live,
and how it was when I was growing up.
Education for disabled children in Nicaragua
For many years Nicaragua was ruled by the Somoza
family. They controlled most of the country’s wealth and
provided the people with few services.
The Somozas did not consider education important for
everyone. They felt that people who spent their lives
working in the fields did not need to go to school.
Somoza himself said, “I don’t want educated
people, I want oxen!”
As a result, most people in Nicaragua could not read or write.
Many children — the poor, the disabled, almost all children in rural
areas, and especially children who were deaf — could not go to
school.
People with power find it easy to treat those who
are different from themselves as though they have
fewer rights and are less than human.
This happens to poor people, people who speak a
different language, women, those who practice
a different religion and especially to people
with a disability!
Then in 1979 the Nicaraguan people overthrew the Somoza
dictatorship and brought in a new government. The new
government believed everyone had a right to be educated and
made education available to all
children, including those who were
deaf. A school for deaf
children from anywhere
in Nicaragua was
opened with
government support.
When everyone is committed to education, deaf children can have the
chance to learn, go to school, and develop their capabilities just like
everyone else!
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)