This article originally appeared on Urunji Child Care Trust Blog.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism are
subjected to prejudice, bias, discrimination and brutal attacks. This has
excessively restricted their participation in the society and pushed them to
the fringes of human development. It is therefore critical that myths and
prejudice against people with albinism be extinguished as early as possible
during schooling days. Eradicating such prejudices will go a long way in
educating the citizenry that: it is a sign of cowardice to bully, isolate,
ridicule and kill persons with albinism.
Albinism
is an inherited and genetic disorder which reduces the amount of melanin
pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. (Biswas and Lloyd 1995). Most children with
albinism are born to normal parents who have normal hair and colour. This
genetic disorder can therefore affect any race and should never be seen as a
curse (Thuku 2011). The National
Organisation for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH), groups albinism into
different categories but comes to the conclusion that, “all forms of albinism
cause problems with the growth and function of the eyes." Albinism leads to the
stunted growth of the retina and nerve connections between the eye and the brain.
This causes serious vision problems which are difficult to correct with eye
glasses.
It
is therefore imperative that school teachers and educational institutions be
sensitive to the wants and needs of children with albinism. Understanding the
effect of albinism at school level will go a long way in addressing the
challenges faced by this vulnerable group in the society. Certainly “albinism does not limit intellectual development,” but students with this
genetic disorder struggle to perform well due to vision problems. However, to bring
the best out of them, it is instructive that educational institutions embrace
the following basic guidelines to assist and accommodate children with albinism.
Classroom Set up.
The
chalkboard is the greatest asset at a school. Its use or disuse can lead to
great and catastrophic results. Chalkboard work is pivotal in the success of
the student, thus teachers should use this asset with great skill. Since all
forms of albinism affect vision, educators should give priority to the needs of
children with albinism. Lynch and Lund (2011) agree that albinism affects vision,
“due to nystagmus (involuntary eye movements) and photo phobia as well as other
eye problems such as squinting and astigmatism”. With this in mind, teachers
should set up the sitting arrangement in a way that advantages students with
albinism. They should sit in front as they have low vision. This arrangement
will not only make it easy for the teacher to maintain eye contact, but also provide
instant supervision to this vulnerable group.
Teachers should also endeavour to provide such
students with hand-outs of work presented through the use of overhead projectors.
The material should always be in large black on white print and must not be
coloured print. Examinations should be written on paper rather than on the
chalkboard as is the case in most rural schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some
medical experts even suggest that the use of telescopes and other low vision
devices should only be used by such students after getting informed consent
from their guardians. Such steps by the teacher will also educate other students
to appreciate the difficulties faced by people with albinism. The other
students must understand that these measures are not in any way meant to give
an unfair advantage to students with albinism. This early acculturation will also
go a long way in rooting out age-old prejudices stacked against our own
brothers and sisters.
Inclusion policy
The
key to embrace the minority and vulnerable groups in society is to include them
in leadership roles. Assigning leadership positions should begin at school level.
This will bolster their self-esteem and give them a sense of belonging. It is
important that albinism be treated as a condition that does not bar responsibility.
Albinism does not affect the ability to make decisions and lead others. In the
same vein, use of derogatory terms and abusive remarks should be condemned to
the last vowel. If teachers accept such behaviour, other learners will follow
suit and such a habit will grow into hardened yarn of insolence against people
with albinism. It is therefore imperative that learners with albinism be
involved in leadership roles at an early stage of their lives and the school is
the best place to begin with.
Co-Curricula activities
Sporting
activities are critical for a child’s physical and mental development. It stimulates
brain activity and helps in refreshing the tired brain. For as the adage goes,
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. However, it is important that
educators play a critical role in assisting children with albinism to choose
their sports wisely. Outdoor activities should only be done under favourable
weather conditions. Lund and Lynch (2011) suggest that parents and school
institutions should at least provide a wide brimmed hat and dark glasses to
protect such learners from the sun’s glare .This is because albinism makes them
react to sunlight which results in skin inflammation. To that end, teachers can
consider indoor sporting activities like table tennis, swimming and chess
amongst others as viable options.
Dermatology care.
One
of the key traits of albinism is freckled skin with lesions. Lack of pigmentation
makes the skin sensitive to the sun’s rays and increase the risk of developing
skin cancer. It is thus important that education institutions do assist
children with albinism with the provision of sun screen lotions and special
sunglasses to shield them from ultraviolet rays. This will mean that educators
and other students will appreciate the fact that people with albinism should be
given assistance so as to protect them from harsh weather conditions. In
extreme cases, teachers should also allow such learners to wear their hats in
the classroom.
The moral lesson
Understanding
the effects of albinism at an early stage is critical in demystifying
prejudices against this genetic condition. People with albinism have been for
years been victims of savage attacks. A
recent report by the Under the Same Sun
(UTTS 2015) reveals a grim picture of torture, kidnapping and sadistic attacks
against people with albinism. Harrowing tales of how they are killed for their limbs,
arms and private parts for various traditional portions, drags Africa to the abyss
of ignorance. A retrogressive step towards civilisation and common sense!
Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights (“African Charter”) provide that, “Human beings are inviolable.
Every being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his
person.” This right cannot be arbitrarily deprived on any ground of
discrimination. Prejudice against people with albinism is an affront to the
right of equality which is enshrined in Article 2 of the African Charter. This
provides that no one can be discriminated on the grounds of, “colour . . .
birth or other status.” It is therefore important that albinism be treated as any
other medical condition rather than a septic condition and a curse. If the
foundation of understanding, love and compassion is laid during early days at
school it will be easier to integrate people with Albinism into the mainstream society.
Even at the workplace the attitude will greatly change as people embrace
inclusion rather than exclusion.
Opinion by Shepherd Mutsvara
Sources:
Biswas, S
& Lloyd, I. (1999) “Oculocutaneous Albinism”, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 80(6), 565-569
Lynch
& Lund. (2011) “Education of children and young people with albinism in
Malawi”, Final Report, Commonwealth Secretariat
Image Courtesy of Community Eye Health's Flickr Page - Creative Commons Page
