The President of the Rotary Club of Tarkwa, Erica Akidam, has entreated the public to contribute to providing an environment that makes the lives of people with special needs less difficult.
According to Rotarian Akidam, focusing on the possibilities for persons with disabilities enables the creation of opportunities for them to lessen their plight. This, she says, will help create a better world for them.
She indicated that Rotary Club worldwide is committed to creating such an environment hence, the continuous efforts of local members to provide various support to their communities where possible.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand over the newly renovated Hooper Memorial Special School by the Rotary Club of Tarkwa, she encouraged the public to join this determination to especially assist the marginalized.
The Headmistress of Hooper Memorial Special School in Tarkwa, Madam Ida Arthur, said the establishment of the unit to cater for children with special needs follows the quest of Mr. Matthew Adutwum to provide education for people with special needs than to allow them to roam the streets.
“The main reason for establishing the unit in the midst of a regular school is that we want to reduce the stigma attached to persons with disability. Persons with special needs will learn from the regular ones and the regular ones will also learn to appreciate persons with disability and accept them in the society.”
So far, she said some fifty persons have benefited from the unit since its establishment.
“Almost all the persons have experienced tremendous changes in their lives in one way or the other, in terms of behavioural changes, social skills, self-help skills, speech and academic work.”
She said the facility has suffered some difficulties, requiring the public to support in addressing them.
She thus expressed gratitude for the gesture by the Rotary Club of Tarkwa, to give the facility a facelift.
Mr. Mathew Adutwum, who is a special needs tutor, said the work undertaken by the Rotary Club of Tarkwa would go a long way to improve teaching and learning activities in the school.
He said the facility admits and trains autistic children, down syndrome, low vision, children with age and behaviour disorders among others. Apart from academic skills, the children are also taught basic skills, self-help skills, technical and vocational skills among others.
In view of this, he further appealed for support to construct a functional workshop to enable the school to realize its objective of building the competence of the children in their care.
