What it means to be deaf and studying at Makerere University

Life when on campus always feels fly and with the umbrella of school, we are all made to unisonly integrate in with everything that we forget to thank God for the proper functioning of our body but rather always rush to point to someone’s defect and then raise our pity and mercy alarms. Given this climate, many normal students will be shocked that a deaf person is also attending a course in one of the universities rather than going to the usually deaf schools that allow them to feel normal since all of them are deaf. But hey! Meet Micheal Okwadi a first year social work and social administration student at Makerere University.

He narrates: “I was born normal like most of the students but lost my hearing ability at the age of 8years while in my Primary two. This prompted me to have one dead year at home before joining Ngora School for the deaf where I completed my primary level then after some years. I later joined Wakiso SSD for my secondary education and now here I am at MUK.”

From Michael’s background, all his previous schools were deaf schools and he had to get an interpreter while joining Muk which all together has been a whole new experience. “I am overwhelmed by the large numbers of students in a class. It is something new to me,” he said.

His major challenges have been; imagine a lecturer says something but he has to completely rely on his interpreter to sign him what he is saying of which some terminologies cannot be signed (for example signing English synonyms) is hard.

When Okwadi’s interpreter is absent from a lecture or group discussion, all that is left for him to be is feel gloom. This entire experience makes him feel unfortunate and unworthy because imagine the lecturer is giving notes while explaining them, it means he has to give up on copying the notes and wait for his interpreter to sign whatever he has understood while others write and listen at the same time.

Worse-case scenario is when the attention of the interpreter drifts just like any normal person that leaves him plain and vague.
However, even with these shortcomings, from the saying; physical disability is not inability; Okwadi has a fascination for sports and athletics. “I think volleyball is my best sport. I was an outstanding volleyball player back in high school and yeah, I have medals to prove it,” the jolly Okwadi told this writer.