'Getting to know' series

I really do hope that my sincere apologies for not writing more often here will be accepted!

From my interactions and experiences with several parents of deaf children in Nigeria, the most prevalent concern about their child is 'how would their child cope particularly in a country in Nigeria?' I can understand their worry about providing their child with a foundation with which to live a successful and independent life. It is certainly challenging to do that in Nigeria but it is by no means, impossible. One thing that I have always wished that I had whilst having my secondary school and undergraduate degree in Nigeria is a mentor- at the very least, someone who understood the challenges, struggles of facing life with hearing loss in a country. Where the majority of people are ignorant of deafness, have different misconceptions, look down on deaf people and all the malarkey that goes with just being uninformed. And also where the government does not have a lot of pro-active policy for deaf people.

One has to bear in mind that every deaf person has dissimilar hearing loss and so will have different experiences, so to speak. Nevertheless, I always think that it is interesting to know how the others cope. I came up with the 'Getting to know' series to educate, enlighten and inspire other deaf people but most importantly, the parents /caregivers of deaf children in Nigeria. There is always something positive about the lives of the deaf people and those associated with them that one can draw upon/from.

The first interesting person whom I would like to kick off the series with is: a young man called Chidi. Please have a look at the interview below!

Can you tell me about yourself; how old were you when you became deaf?

My name is Chidi Topaz Olujie. I am from Abia State but I was born and bred in lagos, I am the youngest out of three (3) children. I am currently attending a masters programme; I am studying Special Education at the University of Ibadan. I love it when someone calls me "Cheeta. It is a nick name and it is a unique name that I believe that no one else has as it makes me feel so different from the rest of mankind. I could hear from birth but I became deaf when I was between 3-4years old, I was sick and was diagnosed with "Mumps" but the doctor treated me for "Malaria" which didn't cure the mumps and then some complications resulted to my being deaf till date.

What challenges have you faced?

I have faced numerous challenges. Most times I can't hear or understand what's being said in the TV or Radio, sometimes when there are public meetings, I can't participate fully and it is really frustrating, it also makes me withdraw a bit (but I am now used to it and it does not bother me anymore). The popular belief in Nigeria today is that those who are Deaf are also DUMB i.e (MUTE/SILENT). Most times I have problems with people I come across on a daily basis especially police men who stop me and when I speak, they believe that I am hearing and if I say that I can't hear, they think that I am pretending. This has caused a lot of problems. Most people always pity me because I can't hear and sometime they think that I am a beggar which so irritates me.

What are your dreams for your life?

I always wanted to be an engineer when I was growing up but the secondary school where I went to, didn't have physics, chemistry etc so it was not possible for me to study engineering in University. As we know 'Man proposes but God disposes', so I studied Special Education/Political Science.  I have always dreamt of running an NGO, to bring changes to the society, to touch mankind and to also create awareness about Deafness.

What would be your advice for parents of deaf children?

My advice that parents of deaf children should not lose hope in them, the most important thing that parents should do is to believe in themselves and their deaf child. Those deaf children are so special, they need special attention, love, care and guidance; the parents should always be around them when it Is required and guard them against danger. Parents should also maintain good relationship with their deaf child. Deaf children can do anything that normal children do; it Is just that they can't hear- that's the only difference.

Your dreams...

One of my greatest desire is to be a PhD holder; others are to touch mankind, create awareness about deafness and also to legalise Nigerian Sign Language as an official language alongside English Language.

A funny anecdote of what is it like being deaf.

Being deaf is like a man in his own island. It is like when you block your ears and you don't hear what's being said around you, you don't hear any noise, you don't hear music etc. You have no idea of what's going on around you. There was a time when a friend was taking his bath and water went into his ears, he tried to get the water out of his ears and he discovered that he didn't hear anything, he screamed, he couldn't bear it and shortly after he could hear, he was panting heavily and said, "you have to be deaf to understand the deaf" **laughing out loud**

Meet Cheeta!



Thank you. Cheeta for your time!

Response to the outrageous 'Deaf and Dumb Driver' article....

A few weeks ago, a story about a 'deaf and dumb' driver was published in the Nigerian newspaper. A lot of dust has been raised and mine was kicked about enough and got into my eyes.

Here is a response all the way from the United States of America!

"I am writing in response to your story in the PM News on-line issue of Monday May 28, 2013 entitled Deaf, Dumb Bus Driver Arrested, and the follow-up Editorial published on Thursday May 30 entitled The Deaf And Dumb Danfo Driver And Us.

GROUP TERMINOLOGY

I am only an occasional reader of PM News and other on-line news sources; however this particular story caught my eye because of my own deafness.

Media practitioners, especially journalists, control powerful vehicles for molding public opinion.  When a group of journalists and editors - by virtue of whose professional calling are or should be considerably better informed and vastly more enlightened on contemporary issues than the generality of their own society - particularly ones who write for as progressive a media institution with a reputation as admirable as PM News, commits the cardinal error of describing a Deaf person as "deaf and dumb", I am angry and disgusted, as I am sure millions of Deaf people on the planet and their families, friends and allies who read the story and the editorial were as well. 
 Again, I am Deaf myself. The trajectory of my life in Nigeria was characterized by constant overcoming of obstacles occasioned by attitudes created not by evidence, but by an ill-informed and rather backward orthodoxy regarding Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people. Aspects of this prevailing orthodoxy are apparent in the choice of descriptive label; in the comments section of the story; and in the tone of your editorial: Deaf people “can’t” because they can’t hear.

 I have been an administrator in American higher education for the past 15 years. But as a Deaf person, I am not unique in that sense. I was employed as a lawyer and Senior Deputy Editor at Gani Fawehinmi Chambers/Nigerian Law Publications for 3 years up to my departure for the United States in 1994. But as a Deaf lawyer, I am not unique. I graduated from OAU, Ile-Ife in 1990 and was called to the Bar in 1991. But as a Deaf university graduate, I am not unique. I spent 5 successful years at Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, graduating in 1983. But as a Deaf alumnus of a prestigious Nigerian high school, I am not unique. Millions of Deaf people all over this world can point to superior records of accomplishment in their own CV’s than I am able to in mine.

And yet, the orthodoxy holds that  “deaf and dumb” people cannot do things any other human being should take for granted.

This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the tangential issue of why Deaf people consider "deaf and dumb" pejorative, but these are powerful examples. During 2001, I saw the likes of Comrade Adams Oshiomole –as he then was—dismiss the federal government as being one "of the deaf”; a columnist with another newspaper congratulating the Broadcasting Service of Oyo State (BCOS) for incorporating "hand sign translations on the news for the deaf and dumb at last"; the hitherto unimpeachable Wole Soyinka treading the dishonorable path of applying deafness to describe reactionaries in opprobrious terms; and the then irresistible Reuben Abati refer to "the deaf and the dumb" in his article of Friday June 22, 2001. These individuals are among the educated elite of Nigerian society, and if elementary enlightenment eludes them, then perhaps for us Deaf people generally to theorize that nothing better can be expected from the generality of society which is constituted by these otherwise distinguished gentlemen’s putative intellectual inferiors, is forgivable.  

Deep ignorance about deafness and issues related thereto lies at the heart of this disparaging labeling of Deaf people. This is an unfortunate reality in a country approaching its centenary that has prided itself for many years as the "Giant of Africa".

Hopefully, cognizant of its ability to influence the formulation of public opinion and shape the corpus of public knowledge, PM News and its entire journalistic corps will find common cause with Deaf Nigerians and take the lead in enlightening both the general public and leading individuals on sensitivity and correct usage.

The correct term for a person whose auditory faculties are not functioning is "Deaf" simpliciter. The additional factor that this person is unable to express orally, is incidental, but not in all cases true, being entirely a function of whether deafness is congenital or adventitious. All Deaf people, whether they are capable of speech or not, prefer to be termed properly and correctly as Deaf.

It will be appreciated if PM News will lead the way in educating the general public and referring to Deaf people simply as Deaf henceforth.

DEAF DRIVERS

While auditory information is important in the driving process, there is insufficient data to indicate that deafness affects driving ability. In 1994, McCloskey, Koepsell, Wolf and Buchner conducted a population-based case control study to determine whether hearing loss puts older drivers at greater risk of collision injuries. Their findings (Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries and Sensory Impairment of Older Drivers) were reported in the magazine Age & Ageing, 23 at pages 267-273.

The cases were drivers who sought medical care, within 7 days, for injuries sustained in a police recorded motor vehicle crash. Controls were selected from a pool of eligible subjects who had not been injured in a police recorded motor vehicle crash. Driving exposure, based on self-report, was similar for both groups. Sensory impairment data were extracted from medical records. Results of their investigation revealed no significant increase in risk of injury from motor vehicle collisions as a function of deafness. Clearly, there is no association between deafness and increased risk for motor vehicle accidents. Consequently, there is no empirical evidence to warrant restrictions on Deaf individuals from operating a vehicle.

I doubt any law in Nigeria explicitly or by implication prohibits Deaf persons from operating a vehicle. I also doubt regulations exist governing the operation of motor vehicles by Deaf persons. Accordingly, I would suggest the adoption of fitness-to-drive guidelines to clarify the position. Australia and Canada have workable, reasonable and logical guidelines:

Condition/Illness	Canada	Australia
Totally Deaf	No restriction	Not addressed
Hearing Aids	No restriction	Not addressed
Some Hearing Loss	No restriction	No restriction. As greater reliance on vision is needed, external mirrors are required
Vestibular disorders	Acute labyrinthitis Patients with acute labyrinthitis or positional vertigo with horizontal head movement should be advised not to drive at all until their condition has subsided or responded to treatment. Recurrent attacks of vertigo Patients who are subject to recurrent attacks of vertigo that occur without warning also should not drive until it is certain that their spells of dizziness have been controlled or abated.	Acute labyrinthitis, Benign paroxysmal vertigo, Meniere’s Disease, Recurrent Vertigo: Should not drive while symptoms persist.

At worst, the Deaf driver, Mr. Sunday Ogunmola, was arrested for driving without a license and driving in a BRT lane. Driving without a license seems to be a common enough offense in Nigeria; and driving in the BRT lane illegally appears to be similarly common, going by the Lagos state governor B.R. Fashola's widely-reported apprehension of an army colonel for doing just that. Sunday Ogunmola's real offenses are prosaic, and, in reality they are indicative of the systemic need in Nigeria for all qualified persons to enroll in formal, structured driver education classes and pass written and practical driver-education exams as a prerequisite for the issuance of a driver’s license, be it private or commercial.

Thank you.

‘Gbenga Aina

Savage, Maryland, USA"

And I say 'He Who has ears, let him Hear!"

"Living In Silence" Art Exhibition

....which was organised by the NGO I founded -Centre for Deaf Rights and Empowerment was successfully held on the 3rd -5th April at Transcorp Hilton Abuja. This was done to (create and) raise awareness of deafness.

We all know that arts are languages that all people 'speak' that cut across all sorts of barriers; be they social, cultural, educational,etc. Art is a form of self-expression. This has enabled the messages of many of the artworks by the deaf artists during this exhibition be passed on without the need for 'interpretation'. Art provide opportunities for collaboration and this has proven to be so during this exhibition; with all the artists coming together for a common goal. All the participating artists come from differing backgrounds and have different styles in their art.

On Tuesday (the day before the exhibition started), I was given the opportunity to speak on the very amiable Jojo's show on CoolFM. I spoke about the need for the public to be aware of the various impact of deafness -functional (where the ability of the individual with hearing impairment communicates with others), social/emotional impact in which limited access to services and exclusion from the society give rise to certain feelings like loneliness, frustration. And lastly, I talked about the economical impact where there is a need to improve access to education, employment to provide a platform for "equal opportunities" in a society where there is already a very high rate of unemployment in the hearing working force. I was asked about the challenges which I face as a person with a hearing impairment particularly in Nigeria- Jojo steadfastly refuses to use the word 'deafness' and I give her a lot of kudos because her awareness about deafness is above-average in the Nigerian context; given the fact that she grew up with an aunty who has a 'hearing impairment'.

Two students from the School of the Deaf, Kuje also participated and they were motivated by the wealth of art display. I had earlier visited their school and like many under-funded schools across Nigeria, their school needs a whole lot of improvement. The school adjacent to the Deaf School is a secondary school and employs an "inclusive" environment in which the older deaf students learn alongside hearing students. Here, sign language interpreters interpret what the teachers say and I must say at this point that it is not a conducive environment to learn in. It does not take someone with a degree in special education to see that having someone just interpreting what another adult says is hardly an effective way of learning. Little wonder that many deaf students who pass through that sort of teaching method don't fare well. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with their intelligence as some ignorant people would make of it. So much needs to be done in the area of Deaf education in Nigeria! Learning aids should be made a priority in these schools.

There were a lot of visitors to the exhibition and many were curious (a very good thing!). I had few parents of deaf children come by and I am really glad that they did as that would encourage more parents/guardians of deaf children to be more aware but more importantly , take their childrren's education seriously. I believe that the goal of raising awareness of deafness was met during this event. I have been reminded of the need to carry the awareness outside so hopefully, you'll be hearing of more exhibitions....

Please visit the link which will let you have a look at how the exhibition went:

http://padlet.com/wall/LISexhibition

And I would like to seize the opportunity to thank the management of Transcorp Hilton Abuja for making the event possible. Also to the following organisations for their support; Projektglobus, Dullion Group and SPINE: fixed in Abuja and the media: CoolFM, AIT (Raypower) and NTA for covering the event. I will not forget the awesome encouragement given by family and friends.

Let's do it again!!

International Women's Day

Once again, International Women's Day was celebrated (or noted, should I say?) in various ways across the world.
On Thursday, I attended a beautiful arts exhibition held at Institut Francais to support the Female Artists Association of Nigeria. It was titled "Plight of Women". Forty female artists showcased their artworks which were done in different media; ranging from acrylic on canvas, ink on paper, painting on paper, sculpture, ceramic, textile printing, etc. All of the participants came from assorted backgrounds and it was great to see them (and other female attendees) united for one purpose. My favorite female Nigerian artist, Ndidi Emefiele was there!

There were lots of issues that were tackled during the exhibition and these included widowhood, rape, assorted abuse, genital mutilation (yes, it still does happen!), forced early marriage, sexual exploitation; just to mention a few. The life cycle of a woman from the time she is born in a patriachal society and going through the cycles of abuse especially at the hands of men who are supposed to support her to the time that she dies (early in many cases) can be a sorry tale to bear listening to.

I'd like to implore you to put yourself in the shoes of a DEAF woman. Imagine what she has to go through the above-mentioned cycle and add neglect, isolation, inability to voice herself out and multiply the critical issues that were outlined. What did you come up with? Most likely, a sorrier and worse situation to imagine, I expect.

The world is forever going through its motions but a Deaf woman would struggle to keep up with it.

Can you help to empower a Deaf woman not to merely exist but to live with purpose?

Matt Daigle

A lot of Deaf people often laugh at themselves but this Deaf guy, Matt Daigle takes it to another level. He is so talented in sharing anecdotes about being deaf.

I just love his comic strips on facebook which are done by himself and his wife, Kay (who is hearing). His facebook page is: That Deaf Guy - Matt Daigle. The last comic strip which I checked out resonated with me was about choosing a seat on the exit row. And in his case, he got upgraded to first class. I must try his tip! The comic strips are funny but the readers' comments are also hilarious!

His comic strips don't stop at facebook as he has a website: www..thatdeafguy.com. He has also published a humor book called "That Deaf Guy: A Family Portrait".


Go on and have a laugh!!!

Old posts

I have just noticed that some old posts which I had edited to include more tags were published as 'new' posts. Kindly overlook the error....

Lydia Callis

Profound apologies for not keeping up-to-date with the blogging.

It was over a month ago since Hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc on the East Coast of the US of America. I remember watching CNN at that time and was really impressed with one person in particular: a smart-looking sign language interpreter- Lydia Callis. It was really cool seeing her on the stage; signing away, right beside the New York Mayor,  Michael Bloomberg.

Here is an article on her from the NY Times:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/nyregion/lydia-callis-sign-language-interpreter-gains-fans-during-hurricane-sandy.xml

"By JEREMY W. PETERS
Published: October 31, 2012
The stories of devastation and destruction on the local news lately have not provided much in the way of relief - unless, that is, you happened to catch sight of a sign-language interpreter named Lydia Callis.
And she was pretty hard to miss. Ms. Callis has been a fixture at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's news briefings, gesticulating, bobbing and nodding her way through the words of city officials as she communicates for the hearing-impaired.
Her expressiveness has caught the attention of the news media, and evidently the mayor himself, who now thanks her before almost everyone else as he prepares to give New Yorkers the latest updates on the storm.
Official news conferences in New York are often attended by sign-language interpreters. But they generally go unnoticed, blending in with the aides or elected officials that surround a mayor or a governor at such events.
Ms. Callis's form makes it all but impossible not to notice her. With her smartly coifed short dark hair and sharp suits, she literally throws her whole body into signing, from her head to her hands to her hips.
She has inspired a tribute Tumblr page: Lydia Callis's Face for Mayor, which has compiled images of her expressions as she signs. In one photo, Mr. Bloomberg looks on from behind, seemingly fixated on her hands.
New York magazine's Web site called her "a legitimate reason to smile" amid all the grim news about the storm. Someone on YouTube set her signing to music, her gestures and jabs punctuating each beat.
On Twitter, she has been called hypnotizing, mesmerizing and a rock star. "I could watch her for hours," one admirer wrote. "She needs to do sign language interpreting for everything everywhere forever," another wrote."


Did anybody catch the last comment in the article? Someone wishing that she  would sign for everything everywhere. That brings a big smile to my face!

Kaos signing choir again!

On 3rd December (International Day of Persons With Disabilities), The Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children joined the British Paraorchestra to release a single 'True Colors'. This single is expected to be a hit this Christmas.

I have earlier written about the Kaos Signing Choir who performed wonderfully in the opening ceremony of London 2012 Olympics. The British Paraorchestra is the first of its kind; it is made up of professional musicians with a disability. It was founded by Charles Hazlewood, a British conductor. The group is starting a global movement to encourage musicians with disabilities and who possess extraordinary abilities. Its mission is to put an end end to the limitations that have been placed on them, particularly by lack of opportunity.

Please check out "the British Paraorchestra - True Colors" on youtube.

A very interesting fact here is that the solo voice heard at the beginning and end of the track belongs to Lyn Levett (a member of the Paraorchestra). Lyn has cerebral palsy and cannot speak. However with state-of-the-art technology, she sings through her computer in 'True Colors', for the very first time. Amazing!!

Success story of a deaf Jordanian lady

Thank you Sarah for bringing my attention to this lady, Shereen Hussein.

 Here is her story as shared with deafunity....(http://deafunity.org/article-interview/shreen-hussien-jordanian-deaf-role-model/)

Shereen is the first Jordanian deaf woman to graduate from University with an MA. She shares her story with Deaf Unity.

Jordan is an Arab country located in Southwest Asia. The official statistics from the Higher Council for People with Disabilities show that Jordan has 30,000 Deaf people; however, official statistics can be difficult to come by in Jordan, and they are not always reliable.

The Ministry of Education has established 13 Deaf Schools and it is thought that currently around 50% of deaf children receive primary education. However, this figure drops to 0.2% of deaf children who receive secondary education. There are no studies or statistics about the fate of the remaining Deaf people who are unable to access education. Some Deaf people do not achieve any qualifications and may have been enrolled by their parents into centres for people with complex disabilities.When I look at these stark statistics, I sometimes wonder how it is that I have managed to get where I am today in the face of such challenging circumstances.

I’m not the only deaf person in my family. Two of my siblings are hard of hearing and one is profoundly deaf. We had various methods of communicating. We wore hearing aids, used lip reading to communicate with hearing people and learnt sign language in order to communicate with other deaf people.

My parents were very secretive about our deafness during our childhood. In fact, they tried to hide it for as long as possible. Even our neighbours didn’t know about it. I still remember that when visitors came to the house my mum would answer any questions that were directed at us so that our deafness would not be exposed. The result of this was that we were rather withdrawn and isolated as children. All that has changed now of course and there is much more awareness in the community regarding people with disabilities and those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Early Education

For the first five years of my school life I went to a private school. I received special treatment because my parents had explained my situation to the school administration.

At the age of nine I moved to a public school. Academically, I was capable but I struggled to form friendships. I was trying to hide my deafness from the school administration and other students. In order to do this I would try to not speak so that people wouldn’t realize that I was deaf by the tone of my voice.

The environment was very different to my previous school and I had to learn quickly how to lip read. Though learning how to lip read helped me to some extent I became very shy as a consequence of my inability to communicate with my peers with ease. It is well known that the integration of Deaf students into mainstream settings in Jordan is generally unsuccessful as there is no specific training on how to create a suitable learning environment for Deaf learners and this is partly why so many Deaf learners drop out of education. There is also no specialised curriculum for Deaf students or differentiation for Deaf learners, which can make the classroom environment difficult.

Challenges at University

I chose to specialise in the field of Special Education at Al-Balqa AppliedUniversity and was encouraged to do this by my parents. It was the first time in my life I had met and mingled with deaf people and with the Deaf community. I absolutely loved it!

I faced many challenges during my time in university. It was extremely difficult to access the type of help I required. Furthermore, there was only one sign language interpreter available to me. In Jordan, there are only 30 sign language interpreters working in areas such as the Court of Justice, universities and organisations working with Deaf people. There is an urgent need to increase the number of sign language interpreters because more Deaf students are being accepted into university. Sometimes these interpreters do not have the skills or expertise to be able to provide a full and accurate sign language interpretation for the Deaf community in Jordan.

Despite these challenges, I completed my four year college degree and graduated with excellent marks. In the end, I overcame the obstacles in my path by helping my teachers to understand my support needs. I gradually told them that I was deaf and they began to understand and communicate with me better.

After graduating from college I worked as a teacher in a special School for the Deaf. I then began working at Amal school for Deaf, and the year after I began to study for my MA. The majority of deaf people do not pursue higher education due to the obstacles they encounter. Ordinarily they complete their high school certificate and try to get a job. Realising that there were no deaf people studying for MA’s I decided that I would try to break this barrier and be a role model for the Deaf community.

I faced many challenges during my studies due to my deafness. The university was unable to provide me with a sign language interpreter, which meant that I had to rely on my classmates and teachers to assist me in the classes. I was, however, delighted that my determination paid off and I passed my exams with a very good grade!


My Work, Inspiration and Vision for Deaf People in Jordan
Since 2003 I have been working as an ICT teacher at a private school for deaf children. I also work for the Jordanian Ministry of Education. My role involves advocating for the rights of disabled people as well as providing training to people on best practice when working with disabled people. I am also a member of the Supreme Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities where I represent deaf people. I am trained in Sign Language and train people who work with deaf people. I also spend time coordinating projects between deaf people and stakeholders and providing the necessary communication support.

I am passionate about volunteering and raising awareness of the needs of deaf people by telling my own success story. I want to bridge the gap between deaf and hearing people. I am always developing my skills by joining courses and programmes that enable me to be a better advocate for myself and other deaf people without relying on anyone else’s help.

In the future I would like to see deaf people learning languages such as English, French and German. I want deaf people to have a decent standard of living, to know their rights, and for their votes and decisions to directly impact policies that affect their lives. I want to see deaf people realising their dreams because so many deaf people do not know how to take the steps towards fulfilling their aspirations. I want to see more deaf people getting married, especially deaf women. I want there to be a formalised and structured training programme for Sign Language interpreters so that deaf people and their interpreters are both aware of their rights and duties. Finally, I would like to see deaf people united.

This article is contributed by Shereen Hussein,  the first Deaf woman in Jordan to achieve a master’s degree.   She works on integrating children with disabilities and nondisabled children in kindergarten programmes and vocational training. Her ambitions for the future are to study outside of Jordan for a PHD in Deaf education and improve the lives of Deaf people living in Jordan.

Ethiopian Deaf tour company

It is of no secret that I am (happily) afflicted with a travel bug. And imagine my pleasant surprise this afternoon when I stumbled across an article about a deaf tour company that has very recently started operations on the opposite side of the continent in Ethiopia. And nobody can tell me that there is nothing to see in Ethiopia!

The following information about the Ethiopian Deaf Tour was gotten from Sodere.com website.

"Addis Deaf Travel to be the first travel agent in Ethiopia providing the deaf community with the all requirement travel service in Ethiopia.
Addis Tour & Travel is a travel agent specialist for Deaf Travel Services in Ethiopia.

To raise awareness of the needs of hearing impaired travelers, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the Ethiopia.

Addis Ethiopia Tours aims to bring the spirit of travel and tours to deaf travelers through specialty travel programs - this time ready in sign language. Travelers can choose among wide range of guided tours, customized tours, and other specialty travel services such as interpretation services. Dedicated attention from the first contact with the company until the end of the tour give deaf travelers the assurance that tour goes exactly the way they want it to. Addis Tour can guarantee deaf Travelers safety and satisfaction."

Whoever came up with this deserves a big shout-out!! And I look forward to making use of their services soon!

It is 2013 already!

Happy New Year to you all!

2012 seemed to have flown by so fast. I would like to seize the opportunity to wish you a great and productive year. The reminders that I have for myself are: 1. I shouldn't expect anyone to understand my journey especially if they have not walked my path. 2. I am confined only by the walls that I build myself. 3. I should embrace those things that make me different. 4. Taking cues from famous 'failures' like Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein and Oprah Winfrey, one would not fail if one try anything new! 5. Apart from thinking outside the box, step outside the box...

Once again, I would like to wish each and everyone a productive and purposeful year!