Deshi Godwin Justin is a blind person from Pankshin local government of Plateau state. The last born of the six children of his parents and the only one with Disability.
His parents told him that he was not born blind, but to him, he grew up knowing himself as a blind person.
He started his formal education at the school for the blind children in Gindiri, in Mangu local government of Plateau state. On completion, he went to Monsat College in Mangu for his secondary school education and completed in year 2016.
In this interview with Bulus Izang Bala, he spoke about his life growing up and his educational pursuit which has been occupied by regrets but he is not giving up.
Deshi Godwin Justin
TQM. As a person with Disability, how have you been coping with life both at home and in school?
Ans. I should say life have been normal, just the normal challenges a normal boy from poor background would face. Like I said, earlier, I grew up knowing myself to be blind, so, I have never had the joy of sight, not to talk of the sadness of losing it. So as a child, life is just the normal life that I know.
At home among members of my family and in the Compound where we live, I did not faced treatment that one would say amount to discrimination.
The primary school I attended was a school for blind children, there is no problem of discrimination based on disability.
I should say, it was in my first year in secondary school that I felt a little bit out of place, because, I was the only blind person in the school, so people were wandering how would I make it, but with time, that passed.
Another area of challenge, is when I go out, what I know I can do, people may be out of pity would offer to do it for me, which I don’t really like so much. Yes, I need assistance, but not in everything.
Another area of challenge is finance. My mother has been the one paying for my education from day one, not only me but that of my other siblings as well and also providing for our other daily needs. While in my last year secondary school we lost our Dear Mother, that year was so difficult, not only emotionally but financially as well. With her and her financial support out of the way, I almost dropped out from school. But glory be to God I manage to complete, I wrote my WAEC, NECO and JAMB. I was even offered admission by the University of Jos to read law, but unfortunately, financial challenges stopped me from taken that offer to read my dream course. So that was how I lost that opportunity in 2016, but I only lost the opportunity that year but not the dream of furthering my education and reading law. In 2019, I tried again.
TQM. And how did it play out in 2019?
Ans. After I wrote JAMB and got 236 points in 2019. I applied to ABU Zaria to read civil law.
In August 2019, we did the online post UME screening and on the 20th of August, 2019. I left Plateau for Zaria to write the post UME on the following day which is 21 day of August.
On the day of the post UME examination, I went there, at the entrance of the examination hall, I was stopped by one of the staff, he told me not to worry, that special students don’t usually write post UME Examination, that the University have special consideration for persons with disabilities, that I should go home and wait for admission and if my name in not on the list, I should come and see the Senate. that was after I showed him my JAMB result and he was satisfied.
In November, 2019. The admission list came out but my name was not on the first list, so I waited for the second list, when the second came, still my name was not on it.
In December, 2019. I received a call from JAMB office in Abuja, directing me to go to ABU Zaria on the 7 of January 2020 concerning my admission. Which I did. They check my JAMB Result, take down my details and told me, they will get back to me in a week time. After the one week, I did not hear from them, I called them, they said I should give them another week, the second week came and passed, I did not still hear from them. I called them severally but each time, my calls were ignored.
My concerned here, is this, ABU gave us directives and I complied with the directives, yet I was denied admission with no reason known to me.
I wrote JAMB this year, but did not meet the required points for law at the University of Jos. so I changed course to Sociology. And I am still waiting for admission.
TQM. Wish you the best of luck.
Ans. Thank you.
TQM. As you are waiting for admission, have you been engaging yourself with something?
Ans. I am into music, I play piano and I also sing. I perform in occasions and church and sometimes I offer private lesson on piano, that is how I keep myself busy.
TQM. Can you tell us a little on how you learn how to play piano?
. Ans. It started while I was in primary school, that is school for the blind children in Gindiri. In the school we have various preforming groups. There is this person that usually visit the school, and he met us performing, he was impressed, so he decided to assist us with musical instruments and also paid a teacher who taught us how to play the instruments. Unfortunately for me, I was in my final year, but I did learn the basics. I later developed myself through someone who introduced me to the choir master in our church and he happily taught me how to play the piano.
TQM. Thank you Mr. Deshi for sharing your story with us.
You are welcome, TQM is doing a good job.
This story is part of The Qualitative Magazine Project “CONNECTING OUR VOICES TO THE WORLD”-propagating the potentials and challenges of Persons with Disabilities in Plateau State supported by VOICE NIGERIA
