By: Amidu Kallon
After successfully completing their undergraduate courses at the University of Makeni (UniMak), three hearing-constrained students: Abdul Issac Koroma, Michael Sidney, and Abass A. Conteh are set to be conferred on Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science.
Meanwhile, before defending their dissertations, the head of UniMak Public Relations Directorate, Shebora Samba Kamara, told A-Z Newspaper that the audiologically impaired students’ successes mark the culmination of many years of hard work.
“Three hearing-impaired students from Computer Science Department are defending their dissertations in preparation for graduation. Their research covers a variety of innovative topics in the field of computer science, and this milestone marks the culmination of years of hard work,” Shebora Samba Kamara, head of UniMak Public Relations Directorate, said.
In a special feature interview with Ibrahim Kalokoh, the head of Computer Science Department, he said no specific resources were provided for the hearing disabled students when they were attending classes.
However, to help them comprehend their lessons, the students were assisted by their classmate, Dauda Dulaiman Kanu, who is proficient in sign language. Kalokoh added that Kanu played vital role in bridging the communication gap between the lecturers and the hearing-impaired students.
“Kanu played a crucial role by helping the lecturers to communicate effectively with the students,” Ibrahim Kalokoh said, adding, “whenever a topic was being taught, Dauda would assist by translating the lectures, ensuring that everyone was on the same page. In turn, the lecturers showed great patience and consideration by waiting for Dauda to complete the translation before proceeding to the next topic. This collaborative effort helped to create an inclusive learning environment, where all students could fully participate and engage in lessons.”
Speaking about their challenges, Kalokoh said the major hurdle faced by the three hearing challenged students was communication gap, especially when they were working on their dissertations.
Ibrahim Kalakoh said: “One of the significant challenges they encountered while working on their dissertations was how to communicate with people during the requirements gathering phase. In order to gather the necessary data, they had to create manual interview forms. However, whenever they approached individuals, many nitially assumed the students were asking for a favor or seeking something from them. The misunderstanding made it difficult to engage their intended audience at first.”
To overcome that challenge, according to Kalokoh, the hearing-constrained students showed interview forms to some individuals, who later took them seriously and offered to give them the information needed for their dissertations.
The dissertation defense ended their struggle as students, and, of course, commences preparation for their graduation from the university.
Abdul Issac Koroma, Michael Sidney, Abass A. Conteh are a testament that disability is not inability.