New Braille book by Nigerian child receives accolade

Posted on November 08, 2012

Jaochim Chissano
Former President of Mozambique

New Braille book by Nigerian child receives accolade
By Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

The former President of Mozambique, Jaochim Chissano has commended Miss Adeife Adeniran, a visually impaired 12 years old Nigerian child for her book entitled “Can You Imagine?”

She wrote the book as part of her efforts to help increase the number of materials available for use in the Braille library.

Ability in disability
In his letter of commendation to the book launch in Pretoria, the former Mozambican leader said Miss Adeniran has been able to prove that there is ability in disability and has overcome her disability beyond the ability of those who think they have good sight.

 “I have enjoyed reading this book. It is so pleasant and so educative. I could not imagine that it comes from a little girl like you. With this, you have overcome your disability and you are able more than any of us who think that we see,”Dr Chissano said.

The Nigerian Consul General in Johannesburg, Okey Emuchey recalled that in the past, disabled children were seen a s curse and were in some societies never given the right to live just as when it was a taboo to have multiple birth until  civilization brought relief to the affected persons and parents.

He said the turn of events has afforded governments, parents and institutions a deeper understanding of the need of the disabled in addition to the work of advocacy groups.

“Today a lot of progress has been made. Parents have begun to understand the peculiar needs and circumstances of their children. And we have had advocacy groups pursuing the issues that revolve around the peace of our challenged. In Nigeria it was slow but I can tell you that all sectors of our government have come to understand that to be challenged is not a curse and it does not reduce your contributions in your own little way to your society,” Mr Emuchey said.

Harriette Bongopane-Zulu and Miss Adeife Adeniran

The South African Deputy Minister for Women, Children and People with Disability, Harriette Bongopane-Zulu said Miss Adeife Adeniran has proved beyond doubt that disability is not an excuse to wallow in self pity but an ability that can produce the best in an enabling circumstance.

While thanking Miss Adeife’s parents for giving their ward the opportunity of going to school, Bongopane-Zulu said parents should not abdicate their role to the state but that the state should provide them all necessary assistance because of the extra care required to keep the disabled going in life.

“You don’t abdicate your parental responsibility to the state, if you abdicate your parental responsibility to the state just because the child is disabled, you might just as well do the same to the other children,”Bongopane-Zulu said.

Improving the disable
Miss Adeife Adeniran said she wrote the book as part of efforts to improve the lots of the disabled particularly the visually impaired whose needs for reading material is often not satisfied.

She said even if the book does not make any major impact elsewhere in the academic world, she will be contented that there is an addition to the number of books available for use by the disabled particularly those with visual disability.

Miss Adeife said, “the reason I wrote this specific book is because I realize that in the braille library there is not a lot of books. Even if this book does not make a big hit, I will like to know that at least one brail book has been added to the shelf of the braille library”.

She will formally present copies of the book which is written in Braille and the conventional text form to the South African President Jacob Zuma at a conference of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disability in December.

Ibisaki