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Godfrey Mugote, Godfrey using his Brailler. © Rachel Heald/Sightsavers

Godfrey Mugote, Godfrey using his Brailler. © Rachel Heald/Sightsavers

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A Model Teacher

Sometimes the best way to change attitudes towards blindness is to show, rather than just tell. Godfrey Mugote is a ‘model teacher' demonstrating that people who are blind can teach, and children who are blind can easily be taught.

Godfrey is the co-ordinator for inclusive education at the Kamuli District Association of the Blind in Uganda. Inclusive education encourages children with visual disabilities to attend school with their sighted peers.

Initially some parents took their children away from the school when they found out he was teaching there. He had to prove himself before they would reconsider. Some parents were worried their children would ‘catch' his blindness.

However his employment as a teacher has not only helped dispel such myths, but has also paved the way for visually impaired children to enrol at the school.

For the first 6-12 months a visually impaired student is taught in the resource centre, focusing on learning Braille. They are then integrated into the main class with everyone else. Teachers are encouraged to use concrete objects to help visually impaired students learn and remember.

Children are now being encouraged to sensitise their parents, elders and peers by talking about the visually impaired children in school with them. Godfrey believes we need to use the young generation if we want to change the attitudes of society, and reduce stigma.