In Nigeria, the majority of families who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities do not have access to professional services. Acute shortage of special educators, coupled with social, economic and cultural problems, negatively impact the development of specialized services. In this article, the authors document the evidences and information gathered from a focus group of parents at the Open Doors for Special Learners, Jos, Nigeria. Comments and discussions revealed, among other things, superstitions participants held regarding disabilities, how families shopped for a cure for their children's disabilities, and excessive caregiver burden. Recommendations are advanced to empower families and their children with disabilities.
click here to download the PDFThis chapter describes a number of techniques, which we have found to be most successful and effective in developing reading skills in most of our clients in Open Doors Reading Clinic. Many of our clients in the clinic are students who have dropped out of school because they have failed to learn to read due to either environmental factors or inappropriate methods of instruction. Some of our clients are young children who seem to have reading disability. We also have adult learners who never had the opportunity to read and write. In teaching reading, we use the Literature-based Approach with a strong emphasis on communication through print and the reading-writing connection. By this, we mean that we use storybooks, which could be fictional or non-fictional. These methods of instruction include reading to the children, children retelling the story and children as authors.
click here to download the PDFSurvival in this age depends on the ability to read and write. This bled client in Open Doors Special Education Unit is to enable them to cope well with the society. These clients interact with the society in general on a daily basis so they should be able to read road signs, read and write cheques, read and write their budgets, read newspapers, magazines, labels on items e.tc. Reading is paramount in their lives so that they will not be cheated by the society. This Special client in the level 6 and prevocational is as important for the individual with intellectual disability as it is for those with normal intelligence. We have been able to assist these special individuals to learn how to read. Although achievement is slow but steady. The success we have achieved is however attributed to the types of attractive reading materials we use, well implemented strategies and the love and the patience of the instructors. This work focused attention on the use of News on the Board, Interactive Read-aloud and Know-Want-Learn (K-W-L) Strategies to assist these special clients to develop the ability to read. Useful tips that can aid the teaching of reading are also highlighted. The chapter concluded by the affirming the benefits of effective implementation of the three strategies using three case studies.
The widespread reading failure in Nigeria is recognized as a cause of serious concern. Among the various factors that are believed to be responsible for this is the fact that most beginning readers do not have the opportunity to learn to read in their mother tongue. This article presents one attempt to develop appropriate reading books in various Nigerian Languages. The books are part of wider effort by Karatu Nigeria to develop and distribute simple books written in Nigerian learners English. These reading books have been used with documented success in teaching non-readers how to read. This article presents the ongoing work in translating these books into some select Nigeria languages as well as the experiences of the authors in meeting the challenges of accessibility, ownership and replication. The innovations and processes used in these translations as well as the outcomes are discussed.
The purpose of this presentation is to share with conference participants in other African Countries the lessons learned in developing and running a Reading Clinic designed to provide literacy learning opportunities for individuals that are not met within the formal school system. Open Doors Reading Clinic, which was established in 1999, provides literacy instruction and remediation for individuals of all ages with reading failure. Many of our clients in the Clinic are students who have dropped out of school because they failed to learn to read. We have had remarkable success in developing their literacy skills enough to enable them to return to school. Other clients include adults who never had the opportunity to learn to read and write as well as young primary school children who have been referred from their schools because they appear to be at risk for reading failure. The presentation shares with participants the administrative set up of the Clinic and the methods which we have found to be most successful.
Removing barriers to learning helps every student succeed in school. The Language Experience Approach can create opportunities for learning that bridge different languages, cultural expectations, and values about diverse events and life experiences.