Dr. Deborah Tamakloe

Dr. Deborah Tamakloe, newly elected DISES Member at Large for International Outreach, is a native of Ghana and lived there for 33 years before coming to the United States. In Ghana she grew up in a compound house with extended family and non-family members. They would sit out by the fire at night and tell stories because there were no books in the home. Since she grew up with no books in her home, Dr Tamakloe realizes the importance of books in the home. So she now regularly takes books to Ghana for the children. She currently is an associate professor at Millersville University.

When asked to describe the educational programs for students with disabilities in Ghana, she said these children often do not have access to education because of basic challenges, lack of resources and the stigma attached to disabilities. Children with more obvious disabilities are often hidden in their communities, unable or not allowed to go to school. There are a few schools for the deaf or blind that were established by missionaries and one private school for children with low incidence disabilities that is very expensive and beyond the reach of average families. In working with parents of children with disabilities in Ghana, she found many parents of children with disabilities recognized their intelligence, but there are not schools with the resources to meet their needs.

Dr. Tamakloe said this is changing in Ghana with the help of initiatives by philanthropists and not-for-profit groups such as USAID and UNICEF. They are currently leading the mission to create and support inclusive schools where students with disabilities can receive the assistance they need to enable them to attend schools. Four hundred (400) teachers in 80 basic schools have been trained in inclusive education to provide access for children with mild to moderate disabilities. Eventually she would like to go back to Ghana to do community work with families of children with disabilities.