The absence of people with hearing impairment in the University of Malawi was a hot topic of discussion during the Disability Students Seminar at Chancellor College. The observation was made by a third year law student Allabi Mailosi who presented his research paper on the low intake of people with hearing impairment. Mailosi observed that Chancellor college has 45 students with various disabilities but out of these none has hearing impairment. He argued that when he was at Blantyre Secondary school there were over 20 students with hearing impairment. Mailosi wondered if the education rights of these people stops at secondary school.
However, the dean of students Dr Mwatseteza disclosed that there was one student with a hearing impairment in year two. Mwatseteza acknowledged that there is indeed a big challenge in accomodating people with hearing impairment. He disclosed however that Chancellor college accomodates all disability students who are selected to the college.Second year law student Jefferson Luwa also presented his paper in which he wondered why there are no sports or entertainment facilities specially for people with disabilities at Chancellor college. The dean of students acknowledged this problem.
Chancelor college is the only college of UNIMA that accomodates people with disabilities. But most of its facilities are disability unfriendly. All the top offices are not accessible to wheel chair users, the Great Hall which doubles as a lecture room and entertainment is not friendly to wheel chair users.
In his speech, the guest of honour Action Amos from FEDOMA thanked the students for the well researched papers. He appealed to the students to help FEDOMA in its fight against discrimination against person with disabilities.
