Wheelchair accessibility: an unforgettable gift

Moataz wanted to go to school, just like all the other children in his town. But to reach the school, it was one of the hardest things to do for Moataz. Moataz Ahmed Abdullah, 13 years old, is a child with a disability and he has to use a wheelchair to be able to move around. He lives in al-Masamir district in Lahj governorate. When he found out on his first day at school that his classroom is on the second floor, he felt like his life had turn into a nightmare. However, children around him started to help him to get up the stairs. Every day his friends help him to get up those stairs to reach his class.

It was an everyday view to see students carry Moataz with his wheelchair up the stairs to the next floor of the school. The students thought it was fun and they had smiles on their faces, but Moataz was the person with the biggest smile on his face. The stairs were no longer a nightmare for him.
 
Because of the initial difficulties that Moataz faced, he started school late. He is now in grade five and is supposed to be in grade seven. With all the support Moataz is receiving from his friends, he feels strong and ready to any difficulties he will find on his way. “I am determined to complete my studies and become a doctor in the future,” Moataz said with a determined face.
 
Moataz’s school; Abbas School for boys, is one of Save the Children (SC) targeted schools in Lahj Governorate. It is an inclusive school and is part of SC Inclusive Education project funded by Dubai Cares and implemented in three Southern Governorates; Aden, Abyan and Lahj. The project aims at increasing schooling access and quality for Yemeni children within 35-school, in those 3 governorates. 
 
With the support of Abbas school teachers, students and their parents, and SC staff advocated to change the classroom location of Moataz’s class to the ground floor; ‘we convinced the school administration to make one of the rooms that were used as a store on the ground floor into a classroom. It was not difficult to do as the store was a classroom before,’ Azab Hasan, the head of the Inclusive Education department in Lahj, explained. The project wants all children to enroll to schools and never drop out.
 
According to the baseline report done by SC completed in November 2008, in the 35-school impact area in Aden, Abyan and Lahj, enrolment is high with 89%, however many children dropout during primary education. 50% of children reported that they had dropped out by grade five. More girls than boys drop out with 65% of girls among the children who had dropped out. In addition, just 49% of children had started school at 6 years of age, while the others started school later, mostly at age 7. Reasons for school drop out varied, but most indicated that they had made the decision themselves; they often did not perform well or did not see the point to complete their education.  This project focuses on ensuring that children stay in school and never drop out; this includes ensuring that children come in time to school, as well as that they learn well.
The project has a focus on schools identified by the Ministry of Education as Inclusive Schools. As disability was the main focus of Inclusive Schools in the past, the schools demonstrate a high rate of enrollment for children with disabilities; 8% of students were identified as having disabilities, which corresponds with general levels of disability in the population. This rate may indicate that children with disabilities attend school, but it does not necessarily mean that these children are well integrated into the classrooms. All children learn differently and have different abilities; teaching in the classroom has to address this, so that all children learn better. All children should also have access to schools. Part of the project is to ensure that schools are accessible to children with disabilities.
 
Moataz’s school was one of the first schools that received support from Save the Children to make the school truly inclusive and to support fulfilling all the children’s dreams for a bright future. Moataz’s mother believes that her son will reach his dream since he works hard and he does believe that his disability will not be an obstacle in his way; Moataz is very wise and he is the best motivator for his three brothers to study and work hard’, Moataz mother said proudly.

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