Takoradi, Sept. 27, GNA - A member of the Governing Board of Africa Contact Group for Mental Health and Deafness, has observed that mainstreaming deaf education into the regular system should be accompanied by the necessary facilities to enhance meaningful interaction. Mr Jonathan Amuah said placing students with disabilities in a regular school without equipment to facilitate their interaction was tantamount to exclusion of the deaf from the educational system and the society in general.

"In such environments, the deaf student=85 is physically present but= may be mentally and socially absent. Provisions must therefore be made to ensur= e that all levels of education are accessible to deaf students," he stresse= d. Mr Amuah, a deaf and dumb person, who made the observation at a press conference in Takoradi, said creating a supportive environment through the provision of sign language interpreters or devices that could enhance communication between deaf and dumb students and teachers. He said all though many policy makers currently support full inclusion in education, meant to fully integrate all disabled students into the regular schools, many deaf students complain that they did not benefit from such system.

Mr Amuah noted that inadequate sign language interpreters and assistiv= e technology that could enhance effective communication are missing in the educational sector. For instance, Navrongo St John Integrated Senior Technical and Akropon= g Training College both of which are recognised inclusive educational institutions lack adequate sign language interpreters to handle deaf students who currently sit and learn with hearing students. Mr Amuah said in the case of St John, there are currently 75 deaf students out of the total population of 168. He said despite the significant number of deaf students, there are onl= y two sign language interpreters.

Mr Amuah has therefore called on the stakeholders in education to find solutions to the situation adding, that good intentions alone are not enough. He said existing policies and laws must be implemented to ensure inclusive society for all.