Fr. Arisukwu with the visually impaired at Obudu

It was an exciting moment being in the midst of special students at Saint Joseph’s School for the Blind known as Saint Joseph’s Special Centre for the Visually Handicapped, Obudu, Cross River State. When The Leader visited the Centre run by Sisters of the Holy Handmaids of the Child Jesus on Thursday, June 27, the students who cut across different gender and age were in high spirits as they moved around the large compound gracefully without any human assistance. They gleefully introduced themselves to me and expressed happiness that a media could remember to visit them all the way from ImoState. I joined them in their jokes and managed to close my eyes only for about ten minutes to feel some momentary blindness. I must confess that it wasn’t an easy experience

In a chat with Mr. Patrick Ikpa Ugboko, a special teacher at the Centre, he informed that the school was established in 1972 by the Medical Missionary Sisters who groomed people with different handicaps after the civil war. It was later taken over by the Handmaid Sisters who run the school till date. The veteran teacher said the Centre is called Rehabilitation home because the entire objective is to give the children proper educational rehabilitation. He explained that the school operates in two phases. The first phase, according to him, is for those in Primary One to Six consisting of children who were blind from birth. The second phase, he maintained is Rehabilitation 1 and 2 meant for either young people or adults who perhaps had gone to school before becoming blind and would still need to pursue their educational career. These people are programmed in the area of Braille reading which has to do with tactual (touching) form of reading for the blind. They are trained in typing skills which enable them to communicate with those who do not know the Braille form of reading. Mr. Ugboko further explained that the students are also trained in Orientation and Mobility which is the graceful movement of the blind without being dragged forcefully and in a dehumanizing manner. He noted that by the Orientation and Mobility training, the blind uses the mobility cane to move on the road and in the midst of others with reasonable freedom. The mobility cane, he explained sends information about the nature of sand, presence of dangerous objects, etc to the brain of the visually handicapped. He said the training takes approximately two years to complete.

Concerning their mode of admission, Mr. Ugboko, who has taught in the centre for about seventeen years, stated that the school should actually have been a national school since it admits people from all parts of Nigeria and beyond. He explained that they have once had students from Cameroon and other parts of Africa. He was quick to say that they have a non discriminatory policy regarding religion or ethnicity since they are basically involved in humanitarian work for the entire humanity. The only recommendation, he affirmed, was a doctor’s report which the school would require to prove that a candidate was visually impaired at the time of admission. Asked whether the school receives assistance from the government, the Special teacher responded in the affirmative. He informed that the CrossRiverState government grants subvention to the school and helps to offset the salary of some of the staff in the school. He identified some problems of the school to include lack of adequate manpower to teach the students, professionals to handle some low vision equipments, typewriter teachers, self help skills or home economics teachers, etc. Mr. Ugboko dismissed the general impression that blind people are always stubborn and aggressive stating that it’s only when they are discriminated upon that they could become aggressive. He praised the children in the Centre saying that the quality of education they receive from the school equips them to compete favorably with their mates outside.

In her reaction, Sr. Beatrice Acholike who spoke on behalf of the Head Teacher, Sr. Rose Abang, HHCJ, expressed delight at the opportunity to work among such special children. She said the students have special talents and high sense of perception that enables them to cope with the challenges of visual impairment. She remarked that they are encouraged not only by the government but also by the good spirited people of Obudu whose charitable gestures go a long way to assisting in taking care of the students’ needs.

When asked if they could recognize him on a second visit, the visually impaired children unanimously told Fr.  Arisukwu that they would readily pick any voice that has spoken to them on a second encounter. Saint Joseph’s Special Centre for the Visually Impaired is located at the centre of Obudu town in CrossRiversState, South-south of Nigeria.

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