Volume 5, Issue 3
March 2012 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
What is International Development? or other social causes, on the “non-disabled” majority where they believe it I was born in Nigeria and has the greatest impact. lived there until I moved to And so deaf people and the U.S. in my teens. I’ve those with other disabililived here now for 26 years, ties are shoved to the end but I have never forgotten of the line for receiving the the lessons of these formaservices that they need. tive years. As a deaf girl International developliving in Nigeria, I was relament is not about handtively lucky—my parents beouts or providing aid to lieved in education for me, people in poor countries even though they had never “because they cannot do met another deaf person things for themselves.” It A typical street in Nigeria’s biggest cities is filled and didn’t have a clue where is about recognizing the with bumper-to-bumper traffic and people. to get the services I needed. humanity of all of us, inSomehow, they found me cluding those who live in excellent signing programs poor countries. It is about for deaf children, and I was able to complete my eduimproving the quality of cation through high school in Nigeria before enrolling all human lives, including at Gallaudet. But I remember how many deaf people I ours, by raising levels of met during those early years did not have the opporliving and freedom, so that tunities I had. Many deaf kids were shunned by their people are able to pursue families, and some even turned to a life on the streets a higher standard of living begging or prostituting themselves. Even those who for themselves and their were “lucky” often did not get past the sixth grade befamilies. When people in fore they had to go out and make a living, as families poor countries have a betpreferred to spend their scarce dollars on “whole” chilter standard of life, we all To see Kubby’s vlog, dren rather than their “handicapped” deaf children for benefit in many ways; for visit http://bit.ly/xv7Hg9. whom they could not envision successful lives. instance, development These early memories were partly why I studied has been found to reduce international development in graduate school. I was the incidence of wars, as people have a higher stancurious about why, in some countries, relatively able dard of living to protect and more incentive to cooperpeople—like most deaf people are—are not given ate rather than make war. an opportunity to contribute, while in other countries, This is one reason I like DDW’s approach and why these opportunities to contribute abound if only we I am proud to be a member of DDW’s board. DDW’s grasp them. I wondered too, what I could do to make core values include collaboration with local Deaf orgaa difference in the lives of other deaf people, living in nizations rather than “experts” stepping in and offering countries where they didn’t have the opportunities I charity, which ends up exacerbating the original probhad. A large part of the reason is that there is so little lems. It means being a positive catalyst for change, to go around in the first place, and governments pre- and working with local organizations that develop their fer to spend their money, be it for health, education own programs and initiatives rather than us imposing By Khadijat “Kubby” Rashid, Ph.D.
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