Take a look at how they are assessed at home and school. In the case of Benjamin, examine how traditional beliefs affect Benjamin and how parents support his disability. Discuss your answers in paragraph form.
Giwi
Giwi lives in the northeast of Papua New Guinea. His village is a fishing village and all the men and boys in the village hunt for fish each morning and evening. Giwi’s family also carve canoes and Giwi helps his father and his elder brother with fishing and canoecarving whenever he is not at school. Giwi has earned a reputation for being a good fisherman and he is also learning to carve very well. Giwi likes school because he has some good friends from other villages that he only sees at school. However, now that Giwi is in Grade 4, his inability to read, and to understand mathematics problems and some other school activities, is causing real problems for him. Giwi’s teacher arranged for him to be assessed at a special education resource centre and it was found that Giwi has a mild intellectual disability and a mild hearing impairment as well. Giwi’s teacher reported these findings to his parents who were very upset to find that their child had a disability. They said to the teacher that they had always been proud of Giwi and that other parents had told them how lucky they were to have such a good boy. They said that now they felt sad and ashamed.
Embosa
Embosa is doing very well in her studies in Grade 3 at school. Embosa’s teacher is very proud of how well Embosa is doing. Embosa’s parents are now very glad that they enrolled Embosa in school. Embosa has a form of paralysis in one arm and one leg, which makes housework and gardening very difficult for her. Embosa’s parents were always proud of their daughter because she is a cheerful and kind person and she is also clever at drawing and making patterns but they were worried that she might have trouble earning a living and finding a husband when she grows up. Some other people in Embosa’s settlement are sympathetic towards Embosa and her parents and also shared the parents’ concern about Embosa’s future. Now that Embosa has been at school for two years and is doing so well, Embosa’s parents think that she might have a good chance of earning a good living in the future, so they are not as worried as they were. Embosa’s teacher says that there are a lot of other children in Embosa’s class that don’t have disabilities but need a lot more of her help!
Giwi from Papua New Guinea, Embosa, and Benjamin from Morobe Province have one thing in common: people with disabilities and impairments never stopped them from being. Giwi, a skillful boy, suffers from mild intellectual disability and hearing impairment while both Embosa, a talented student, and Benjamin has a problem with their physical appearance and abilities. They might have their
Benjamin
Benjamin was born with a deteriorating form of physical disability in a village in Morobe Province. During his early years, he was able to move around without any assistance but after some years, he lost his ability to walk. After much talk among community members it was found that Benjamin’s father had committed adultery with another woman of the same village. Benjamin’s mother was hurt and contemplated divorcing her husband. Community members believed that if Benjamin’s father confessed his sins, Benjamin would be able to walk again and reconciliation of the family might also be achieved. Benjamin’s father did confess and asked forgiveness from his wife. Benjamin’s condition did not improve after his mother accepted his father’s confession, though, and his disability continued to deteriorate. Benjamin’s parents developed a stronger relationship and it was said in the village that it was their love for their child in his remaining years that brought them closer together.
In Giwi's case, no one suspects that he has a disability at his village, given that he is good at what he is doing. However, as he reaches 4th grade, his difficulties in reading and understanding logical problems caused his dilemmas. We can also assess that Giwi's previous teachers did not evaluate his difficulties since he had already reached grade 4 when they discover his condition putting him at risk. Moreover, his parents also failed to monitor him at home, as it was late for them to find out that he has a disability. Thankfully, Giwi had a teacher who helped him undergo a special education resource center to prevent a worst-case scenario. Despite what Giwi has gone through, he is fortunate to live in a community that accepts his condition as Giwi also mentioned that he made good friends from other villages that he only met at school. People may not suspect him having a problem or impairment in his village since he showed no signs. He even got to receive a good reputation as a fisherman and a useful skill in carving canoes. With the skills and abilities that he had shown, his parents did not think about anything else about him. Nevertheless, After discovering that he has a mild intellectual disability and a mild hearing impairment, they felt ashamed about having him as their son, and they react wrongly to his condition. Giwi may have an impairment, but it did not hinder him from doing physical activities. His parents should focus on that because, despite his disability, Giwi still excels in areas where anybody of his age could not do.
For Embosa's situation, she lives in a community where everybody shows concern and sympathy towards her ailment as they believe she is not capable enough because of her serious disability. In third grade, Embosa is fully and actively participating in school and her community. She is a talented pupil, which we can recognize from her brilliant works at drawing and making patterns. She also has a good relationship with her peers and teachers, considering good feedback from her school. Her teacher, who plays a significant role in her life, assists Embosa in her studies and notices that she has an advantage over other students despite her condition. Furthermore, At home, Embosa has a family who thinks about her future and wanted her to succeed in life. Despite having paralysis in one arm and one leg, Embosa's parents see her as a normal child who is always cheerful and kind. Her parents want nothing else but her happiness and security. Unlike Giwi, Embosa has a supporting family. Embosa is blissful enough to live in a community where everyone wants to uplift her. She may have paralysis, but it did not stop her from doing well in studies.
From Embosa and Giwi's situation, we can contemplate that certain factors, such as how the people assess a person's disability and their attitudes toward them, affect the person's inherent condition and the environment where they live.
In Morobe Province, Benjamin lives in a community that has strong, delusive beliefs. His community supposes that his deteriorating form of physical disability resulted in his father's infidelity. They have also assumed that his condition will be fixed if his father will confess for his sins and repair their relationship. Their community members were quick to identify some previously immoral acts committed by the father in an effort to explain the appearance of Benjamin's disability or condition. Their beliefs lead to blaming and embarrassing the child's parents. It had also developing ill-feeling within and among communities. If parents and communities were only aware of medical reasons for the child's disorder, their feelings about the child or the parents can be very different from those they would have previously kept. Furthermore, In the passage, it was not mentioned how Benjamin's parents treated his condition as they only focus on their relationship problem; hence, we can assume that they did not give much attention to Benjamin's situation.
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