James Aniyamuzaala
James Aniyamuzaala
UgandaAbout me
My Story
I am a young Ugandan and I became hard of hearing at the age of eight years after an accident. My mother and other relatives who I lived with didn't realise the problem at first, but after sometime they realised that I was hard of hearing. This became obvious because they would call me and I could not respond until they increased the level of their voices.
I was then in Primary One and my mother discussed this problem with my teachers and I was allowed to sit in front where I could hear the teachers better. Praise God that I could speak up to now and I passed my Primary level with a super B aggregate. This gave me courage, confidence and determination to continue with my studies, as disability is not inability.
But before this, as I reached Primary 5, in June 1995, I lost my beloved mother. My mother had always understood my status and had never neglected me. My mother had explained my problem to the teachers who taught me. I was devastated to lose her and thought about killing myself or living on the streets. I felt like it was the end of this world. Fortunately God cared and I had the opportunity to stay with some of mother's relatives. However my life changed totally and I realised that only the fittest survive! I decided to focus on my studies and I hoped that learning and education would take the place of my mother and father. By this I mean, that if I studied hard, I would be able to support myself in the future. This partly explains why I was able to attain a super B in my primary school exams.
After completing primary school in 1997, I had to join secondary school but before I joined it I fell sick with a sinus problem, which increased my hearing loss. In Uganda we don't have a deaf secondary school and also I had a problem in that I needed school fees. My aunt could not help me as she had her own family to support. I therefore had to miss the first form of secondary school (senior one). Nevertheless God is great, and after some money (in the form of a pension for my late mother) was released I joined the secondary school in second form.
In the first two years of my secondary school I faced the problem of having incomplete sentences and paragraphs in my notes. None of the teachers knew my status and I was used to the system of copying notes from the blackboard. Unfortunately now the teachers dictated notes to the class. I survived this by getting a friend who assisted me with my books to copy the missing sentences during the evening prep time whilst my fellow students were reading their books.I would wake up at 4.00am to compensate for the reading as my friends were sleeping. However there came a time, when enough was enough. I explained my problem to the headmaster, teachers and my fellow students as I was now used to the school environment. I started sitting at the front of the class and some teachers gave me special attention.
As I reached Senior 3, the money from my mother's pension ran out. I never lost hope because I know that God cares for me. At this point, friends of my mother, Aunt Ursula and Uncle Gerald came to assist me and have helped me up to now. The following year I was a candidate to finish ordinary secondary school level. With confidence, courage and determination, I attained a super B again. I missed a First grade aggregated by only 1 mark! In this secondary school I was the best in all science subjects and again I was convinced that disability was not inability!
In 2002, I went to do History, Economics, Geography and Divinity at St Kalemba Secondary School. Unfortunately before I joined this school, my sinus problem became serious and my hearing reduced even further. With the help of my Aunt Ursula and Uncle Gerald, I was able to get a Behind The Ear hearing aid from the local hospital. This improved my hearing but to only up to a limit.
At school, notes were again dictated and the syllabus was very big for the short period of 1½ years that we had to cover it. Things were not favourable for me at first, until I realised that I had to demand my rights for special attention from the teachers. Together with other disabled students, we decided to speak with one voice, through the Kalemba Association of Disabled Students (KADS). I was the Chairman. We achieved something immediately as regard the representatives of students with disabilities to the school student council and District Council. Special attention was given to us. Special consideration was given to us in teaching, health, chapel services and in accessing water.
At the end of 2003, I sat for my national exams and I passed with eight points and one principle pass. To qualify for university, you need two principle passes so I was very disappointed, as I had only qualified for a diploma and not a degree. Although I did not pass well, I did not lose hope and I still believe in myself that I am going to pass. I made a retake this year. My goal is to become a diplomatic economist. In order to show the rest of the world what I have always known: Disability is not inability.
I thank Aunt Ursula and Uncle Gerald. To be honest, I can't survive now without them. They counsel me; they give support, parental care and guidance. May the good lord protect them. Thanks be to God, the Almighty father who looks after me and who answers my prayers. My advice to my fellow brothers and sisters around the world and especially those who are deaf is just to believe in yourselves and to remember that "united you stand". May God bless you.
There are currently no comments on this page.
