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{
    "id": 1029181,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1029181/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13188,
        "legal_name": "Getrude Musuruve Inimah",
        "slug": "getrude-musuruve-inimah"
    },
    "content": "EARCs that were established were 17. They were fully equipped with all the accessories and what was needed to ensure that children with disabilities were identified and placed at the right time. It is unfortunate that as we are speaking right now, the EARCs have been neglected, abandoned and are dysfunctional. That has implication for the life and future of children with disabilities. As we prepare other children through the school systems, so that eventually, they can exit to the world of work, we seriously need think about these children with disabilities. We can start by identifying children with disabilities in our communities. Madam Deputy Speaker, when a mother carries a baby in her womb, she does not know whether she will give birth to a normal child or a child with disability. She only realizes a child has some disability after one or two years. For example, if she calls a child and he is not responding; then she realizes her child has some challenges maybe in hearing, speaking and so forth. Sometimes you move a biro pen to see whether the child will follow it with his eyes, but you realize that he is not responding. You may ende up concluding he has problems with his eyes. That is when a parent worry and wonder what exactly is wrong with her child. Sometimes parents blame themselves for the disabilities of their children. Madam Deputy Speaker, EARCs are put in place to help such parents. EARCs have audiometers to assess, the right materials and the assessment tools. Those tools can help to identify that a child may be different from the rest in the sense the child does not see clearly or cannot follow a moving object placed before their eyes. When the child cannot respond, then he might be having hearing problem. Madam Deputy Speaker, if the child is not able to go to the toilet, that is when it is identified that there is a problem. If the child is autistic, that is when it is identified. When these children are identified at an early age, it will be possible to place them at the appropriate education facility, so that they can actualize their potential. Madam Deputy Speaker, these are roles that EARCs were playing during that time when Denmark and the Government of Kenya had collaborated to intervene in special needs education. After EARCs, Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) and Kenyatta University (KU) special needs education were established. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am a beneficiary of that system because when I went for special education, it was a collaborated effort of the Government of Kenya and Denmark. I received full sponsorship. I did not pay the fee because they wanted to solve issues that were at the ground. Madam Deputy Speaker, in as much the Government was sorting out the issue of special needs of education at the higher level, they ended up forgetting what is at the lower level. That is why there is a mismatch when it comes to education of children with disabilities, especially those who are deaf. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am moving this Motion to the Floor of the Senate because I need my fellow Senators to support me in this endeavour of ensuring that we have the right policies in place to support children with disabilities and ensure that no child with a disability will lag behind as far as education is concerned. Most school"
}