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DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY, By AGA Barrie

On the morning of Saturday, February 13th, Z.A.M. Refai and I decided to visit the Islamic Centre for the Physically Handicapped located in Doolmala, Thihariya.  Thihariya, predominantly a Muslim village in the Gampaha district and located about nine km’s from the Gampaha town, took a pleasant ninety minutes down the Kandy road to reach.  We were welcomed by the President of the Centre Al Haj Jiffry Haniffa, the Principal, staff and students, all of who took us on detailed tour of the facilities.  The Centre provides formal education, vocational training, rehabilitation, food, accommodation and medical care completely free of charge to the hearing and visually impaired and to students who are physically and mentally handicapped from the primary to secondary level.  The facilities consist of full time classrooms, hostels for students, visitor quarters, grounds for the children where sports activities are routinely held and the necessary facilities and equipment for vocational training.  The buildings are well planned and maintained; situated across a four acre land.

Being an Islamic school, the Centre provides separate classes for the boys and girls even though children of all faiths attend the school.  Still, though the Centre is a Muslim school, they provide activities for all faiths and cultures including Missionary activities.  We were fortunate to witness a group of dedicated teachers patiently helping the children develop their modes of speech and language capabilities.  The method of teaching varies for the different handicaps.  For those who are hearing impaired, sign language is mode of teaching.  It was inspiring to watch students enthusiastically read their lessons and answer questions posed by the teachers; communicating all through sign language.  Visually impaired children are taught using the Braille system.  Even the reading of the Holy Quran was demonstrated by a student using Braille, truly a miracle.  The entire Quran is available in the Braille system for students to learn and read.  The students with learning difficulties are managed and taught by experts in their respective fields, both trained teachers and volunteers.  Both the staff and the Principal are very proud of their students’ achievements and have much reason to be so.  Two of their students have entered the university and many have gone on to overcome their difficulties and lead an enriching and fulfilling life.

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Vocational training is another area where the students at the Centre excel.  Once the students complete their normal education they are assigned to vocational training based on their physical abilities; learning various skills from jewel crafting to gem cutting to carpentry and sewing.  Some of the finished products of past students are displayed in show cases, magnificent pieces of work if I may say so myself.  Here again, the dedicated teachers devote their time and efforts to provide these children with all the necessary instruction and motivation for them to master these crafts.  Vocational training is also provided for mentally challenged students as well in various industries from agriculture to gardening.
Fully serviced hostel facilities are provided for girls and boys.  What impressed us the most was the fact that the staff and students living in the hostels work together in the maintenance and upholding of the hostels.  The senior students look after the juniors and disabled students who are unable to cope on their own.  It is quite stirring to see the camaraderie of the children, watching over each other as if they were all a large group of siblings.  The Centre emphasizes independence in their motto, ‘Disability is not inability’.  That these children not be coddled but trained so that they may go out and lead a life of merit and self satisfaction; that they may learn to be as independent as humanly possible.
One of the major difficulties the Center is facing is the high rate of teacher turnover.  Once teachers are trained and fairly settled in their career they tend to leave due to the lack of housing facilities available for them.  At the present time, the Centre does not have quarters built for teachers and many tend to come from long distances to offer their services.  Hence the Center has purchased a land to construct quarters for the Principal and teachers.  We inspected the newly acquired land and the plans drawn for its construction.  From a professional point of view, the blueprints seem to be viable and at least the teachers’ quarters can be built.  Once completed the quarters will be able to house approximately six teachers and their families.
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Alhamdulillah, it is the intention of Z.A.M. Refai and myself to provide the teacher’s quarters within this year Insha Allah, so that students can continue to learn with a core group of experienced teachers and feel a sense of stability and security that comes from working with teachers that are known and familiar.  Though it may be a bearable dilemma, I imagine that the constant uprooting of staff is having an adverse effect on the development of the school and children alike.  The Centre needs the assistance of the Sri Lankan Muslim community at large to continue its growth and outreach. If you are looking for an avenue to donate Zakaat funds to during the month of Ramadan, this is a wonderful opportunity to support an organization who are doing a noble service not only for the Muslim community, but the Sri Lankan community in whole.
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