By Frederick Womakuyu

When he sees me, his face lights up. And before I can greet him, he brings his hand forward and shakes mine. â€œHi. I hope you are well,â€ he says. As I reply, I receive no answer except a nod, an indication that he did not hear what I said. From this point on, I wrote down the questions and he wrote down his responses.

Edgar Bwire has been deaf since P4. He could hardly hear what was taught in class, but relied on notes and a bit of sign language from his teachers and fellow students. He neither attended a special needs school nor had special needs teachers. He attended the same class and competed academically with children with no hearing impairment.

Many would expect the 23 year-old to lag behind because of his disability but it was the opposite. When the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education results were released last week, Bwire got 15 points beat many students in his Ngora High school in Kumi district.

Born in Omukagyera, Mbarara district in western Uganda, Bwireâ€™s achievement has not come easy. When he was eight years old, Bwire lost his father. He and his 13 siblings were raised by their mother, who was not formally employed and relied on handouts from her eldest son to send the rest of the children to school.

When Bwire was in primary four, he suffered from meningitis, but the family misdiagnosed it for malaria. â€œWe treated him at home, but his condition didnâ€™t improve. They gave him several quinine injections,â€ his elder brother, Francis Kabwisho, said. Later, when he was taken to hospital, it was discovered that he had meningitis.

â€œI was shocked. I thought I was going to die as my condition worsened,â€ Bwire recalls. â€œAt first I could hear echoes of peopleâ€™s voices at the hospital but as the hours passed I couldnâ€™t hear anything anymore.â€

After examination, doctors noted that the family had overdosed him with quinine. They said it would take only two days for his condition to improve. â€œBut I stayed in the hospital for two months, hoping to regain my hearing. Nothing has happened to date.â€

When Bwire came out of the hospital, he did not want to go back to school. â€œThe other pupils discriminated against me. They didnâ€™t want to talk to me,â€ he said. â€œMy uncle wanted me to join Nakasero in Kampala, but I refused.â€

When he returned to Mbarara, his mother told him to go back to his former school. Fearing discrimination, he tried to refuse, but his mother insisted. â€œI went back, but life wasnâ€™t the same. My friends did not associated with me. I was lonely and nobody wanted to share notes with me. But one good thing is that in primary, teachers used to write on the blackboard.â€

Bwire completed P7 in 2000 with aggregate 30. He blamed the isolation for his dismal performance.

â€œAfter P7, I asked my mum what school I would join. She told me to join a technical school, but I refused,â€ he added. â€œShe tried to silence me, but I protested. She asked what I wanted.â€

Bwire said nobody in his family knew that there was a school for the deaf. â€œAfter looking around, one of my brothers discovered that there was a school for deaf children in Mbarara. Unfortunately, it had only classes from P1 to P5. I had completed P7 and wanted to join Senior One.â€

However, the director of the school was very helpful and sent them to Ntinda School for the deaf. But before he joined the school, his family tried to get him hearing aides.

â€œWe were asked to pay sh4m which we didnâ€™t have. One helpful Dr. Edward Turitwenka offered him aids,â€ Kabwisho said. â€œIt only helped him to detect sharp sounds but wasnâ€™t helpful in hearing.â€

When Bwire joined the Ntinda school, the welcome he received was not pleasant. â€œIn the first week, one of the boys greeted me using sign language, but I didnâ€™t understand. He then brought his hand forward to greet me,â€ he recalls. â€œBut thinking that he was about to beat me, I hit him with a set.â€

The boy went crying and reported the incident to a deaf teacher. â€œHe didnâ€™t waste time listening to my explanation. He pushed me down on the floor and caned me several times,â€ Bwire said. â€œI cried and wanted to abandon school. But after sometime, I learnt sign language and got along with the teachers and pupils.â€

After one year, Bwire was admitted to Kuja Secondary School for the deaf in Kenya. â€œThe conditions in Kenya werenâ€™t good. We spent a lot of time outside class slashing, cleaning teachersâ€™ houses and planting the headmasterâ€™s maize,â€ he explained. â€œI was stressed and we had a little time to revise.â€

Bwire says the Kenyan syllabus was hard to follow. â€œKiswahili was compulsory, teachers dodged classes and some didnâ€™t know sign language.â€ A small mistake could earn one a punishment of slashing the whole compound, he added.

After four years in the school, Bwire performed poorly. â€œI managed a D. I, came back to Uganda and my brother asked whether I had any options,â€ he said.

His brother wanted him to repeat in the same school, but Bwire refused. â€œI told him to enroll me in Ntare because I believed in myself. I knew that in Uganda, I would do well,â€ he added. â€œBehind my back, he was planning to take me back to Kenya, but luckily, they didnâ€™t admit students who failed. I was happy.â€

Bwire retuned to Ntinda School for the deaf, where he was advised to try Ngora High school. â€œThere was no discrimination and the school admitted all categories of students. A few of its teachers had skills in sign language,â€ he said.

Bwire was taken back to Senior Three and scored aggregate 21 in his Oâ€™Levels.

â€œThe students here were used to students with hearing impairment. They assisted me. I would have performed better, but the teachers had many duties. The school wasnâ€™t for special needs and they had to attend to other students.â€

At times he missed morning prep because he could not hear the bell rung and he had no close friends to wake him up when he was still new at the school.

He was admitted to Aâ€™Level in the same school. â€œI wanted to do Biology, Agriculture and Geography so that I become a veterinary doctor. But my career guidance teacher gave me Arts because I had passed History and had a credit six in Biology,â€ he said.

Bwire was given History, Economics, Geography and Fine Art. â€œI read very hard and relied on text books and notes from close friends. Many people sent me good luck messages and I never wanted to disappoint them,â€ he added. â€œI also spared some time for football.â€

When the results came, he had scored 15 points and beaten several top students in some districts in Uganda like Bukedea, where the best had about nine.

Reacting to the news, Eva Kabwisho, Bwireâ€™s elder sister, said: â€œI am very proud of my brother. He has amazed me. This proves that no one is useless. I have a very bright brother.â€

Francis Kabwisho, who paid his brotherâ€™s fees, echoed the same. â€œI thank God for making him what he is, despite the hardships and the challenges. I had to balance between looking for his fees and also talking care of my other siblings. His courage and determination inspired me.â€

Bwire is grateful to his brother and mother and all who stood by him during the trying times. â€œI am halfway my dream of attaining a degree.â€He wants to study Development Studies.

Given the fact that Bwire strikes one as an individual who can sell snow to an Eskimo, who knows? His dream may come true.

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