Empowering deaf girls in Uganda:

Mobile Phones and SMS

Wednesday 30 March, 2011

Mobile Technologies for Education: The experience in the developing WorldUniversity of Cambridge Faculty of Education

Panel Discussion

Dr Sacha DeVelleFounder: Cambridge to Africa

Deafness in Uganda • estimated at around 400 000 (UNAD, 2010)

Kabale, South Western Uganda

Large proportion of deaf children in the region Malaria cited as the main indicator (lack of research) Most children born to hearing parents Girls face triple stigma: gender, poverty and disability No hearing aids/cochlear implants

Background

Research A woman is 23% less likely to own a mobile phone in Africa 5 specific factors that influence ownership in low and middle-income countries:

1. Household income2. Urban/rural location3. Age4. Occupation5. Educational level

GSMA Development Fund and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (2010)

However Does not include a disability measure Focuses on an age group >13 yo

Empowering deaf girls with SMS

Child Africa International School (CAIS) Deaf children 12 Hearing children 351

Pilot Study: Phase 1 Sample size and selection (N=12) 6 deaf and 6 hearing students Provision of phones Mobile phone training over 2 weeks Implementation within school/community

Background

Hearing Children Deaf ChildrenShakira Docus

Brave Kakuru Rajab Farida

Grace Didi Joel CarolinaDoreen Jovita

Pilot Study: Phase 1 (cont)

Phase 1: Findings

Social Inclusion Outcomes

Self empowermentSchool IntegrationCommunity Awareness

‘All my village mates used to laugh at me because I could not hear what they could say and also I did not have any way to speak to them. Can you imagine an orphan like me using a mobile phone SMS facility at the age of 10 to communicate to educated people like you? God is great’.

Docus Ayebazibwe

‘I can now visualise a bright future because I am far better than what I was when I was still shabby in the village four years ago. Those who used to laugh at me in the village now see me as a star because most of the rural community members do not know how to use sign language or mobile phone SMS facility. I am now in Primary 4 and feel that education, especially science, is good for sign language people’.

Caroline Kembabazi

Testimonials from girls in the project

Community outcomes Integration via Kabale community Raised status in home village Given a voice via SMS Equality balance: questioning gender stereotypes

Educational Outcomes Increased participation in the inclusive classroom Increased self esteem Increased autonomous learning A focus on future educational goals

Empowering deaf girls with SMS

Future directions

Working with UNAD in Kampala Launching mobile phone project in other regions Focus on SMS written language as a pedagogical tool Continuing our focus on empowering deaf girls via mobile phones Using SMS to further examine the perception that inclusive education

promotes socialisation rather than learning objectives

Empowering deaf girls with SMS