Ningo Salt Production

I was not expecting to enjoy this trip as much as I did. Many students were not fully understanding the reason why we were visiting this site, but once we arrived and started our tour, we TOTALLY understood. We couldn't believe how much manual labor went into salt production at this company in Ningo. We discussed safety precautions (OSHA regulations, etc.) inside the factory as well as outside. It was, and I hate to use the same word 50 million times but, AMAZING to see how much effort goes into this process. Men and women are inside these huge salt ponds with buckets and shovels, grouped together in a pair, and shovel salt into their own individual buckets, fill it to the top, one person bends down to help put the bucket on their head, while the other one assists and picks up their own bucket to place on their own head, and then run up a make-shift ramp onto a dirt road to pour the salt contents onto the back of a truck. The truck then carries the salt back to the factory to be cleaned and processed. AMAZING, again. Talk about manual labor! Here are some pictures:

Now I'm unsure of just how a person with a physical disability might be able to do this job, unless they had some type of adaptive equipment, such as a wheelbarrow, conveyor belt, etc. A person with a cognitive disability could certainly take on this job with adequate instruction. This is job is definitely not for everyone, one must be strong, motivated, and have good teamwork skills. As the pair brings their salt to the back of the truck, they are being tallied and paid according to how many buckets they put on the back of the truck. Talk about PAY AS YOU GO...geeze. These men and women have all of my respect.

Definitely recommend this trip for future intersessions as we learned so much from this trip, too much to blog about :)

Autism Treatment Center

One of my favorite trips, and somewhere I would love to return to volunteer for. In fact, we (OT students) are thinking to fundraise for this school and the special school, which is down the road from the Autism Treatment Center. I am also planning to pass this information onto other students who have participated in the intersession.

I have been working with children diagnosed with Autism for the past 2 years and find them completely fascinating. I do not say this because I think of the children as spectacles but simply that they are beautiful children, with unique personalities, and that they add something special to my life. I found it amazing that many of the children have the same tendencies as those that I work with at home. Although they are different and live thousands of miles away in a different country, they are alike, and share much in common. The children walked up to me, wanting to be hugged, touching and feeling, fulfilling their own sensory needs, as well as inviting us to their school.

 I wish we had more time to spend here, as this is my focus for much of my career, what I plan to dedicate a lot of my time to. I can't imagine how people may view these beautiful children as cursed or a punishment. It is sad that people are unaware of the neurological and genetic composition of their disorders, and merely treat them as outsiders/aliens/unwanted persons. I can say that I am grateful that this center has been founded and that there is someplace that these children can go to be educated without facing discrimination. I hope one day the people of Ghana can open more centers/institutions like this one.

This made me think about whether or not people in Ghana understand the potential causes of Autism, well, those that had been mentioned, because it still remains unknown. I feel a research topic coming on?? Who educates people on developmental disabilities, how are they educated, who is educated?

It was disheartening to hear that the school receives little funding for the students. There was one scooter for all of the children in the entire school and a couple of soccer balls. There were paintings on display for sale, the proceeds would benefit the children attending the school directly. I decided to buy two paintings, one for my home, and another to be framed and put on display at the Autism clinic I work for at home.

This place truly opened my eyes and touched my heart. Great trip.

Accra Rehab Center & Military Hospital 37

Visiting the Rehabilitation Center and Military Hospital 37 put disability in Ghana into perspective for it, it was like the defining moment of our trip. It brought out the true reality of having a disability and how one goes about living with one. I also wish that we were able to spend more time at this location. Again these two places could perhaps be where students can volunteer for a day or week.

The rehabilitation center is a great place for individuals to learn a trade, something that could potentially segway into owning their own business, i.e. woodwork, sculptures, dresses, paintings, etc. We met a man with deformed arms and hands who painted some really amazing things, he now teaches at the rehab center, here is one of his paintings, recognize anyone?

We also met a man who made wheelchairs for and competed in the special olympics athletic games. He was so happy to see us and show us his work.

 

We viewed a lot of the shops in which the residents there learn their crafts and work. We were also conscious of whether or not the areas within the center where accessible to the residents. And for the most part, it's sad to say they weren't. The ramps were too high and uneven, we think that perhaps they were used for wheeling machinery and materials into the shops and not for residents in wheelchairs. This center has been open since 1962 (the year both of my parents were born in), and I really felt like they should have progressed SO much more than they have. But I guess it's hard when they are in the situation they are in, with limited funding, and the views that the community has about the people they are helping. It was just an unfortunate situation. I'm so happy that a facility such as this one exists, however am so saddened by the fact that they so are far behind and have much more potential than shown. 

We are also planning to put together a fundraiser for this center as well, thinking about raising money to donate so that they can get their machines fixed, buy new materials, etc. 

We didn't spend much time at the Military Hospital, but I was surprised to see how much equipment they have for their patients. It was a relief to know that they have modernized treatments for individuals with disabilities (i.e. ultrasound machines). We were not allowed to take pictures so there will be none posted. It was a very small rehab, where they had an adult physical disabilities room and a pediatric unit. The children were SOOO adorable. One child we observed had Cerebral Palsy, and was so happy to see us! He smiled and attempted to babble at us...I wanted to take him home with me! We observed his ability to reach and grasp for items while sitting and standing. Karen could not pass up the chance to interact with such a cute child.

Also sighted this cute kitty at the Rehab Center:

Jamestown, University of Ghana, and Mosque in Legon

I was completely taken back by our trip to Jamestown Fishing Village. I was astonished by the way of life of the people in this community. Everyone had a role and responsibility and abided to their obligations. Men wake up early in the morning around 6am to set out on their morning journey to fish, a second set of men may go out and meet the met at their fishing spots to collect the catch and bring it to shore so the initial group of men can continue to fish. When the catch is brought to shore, more people gather the nets and assist in retrieving the catch. Most of the fishermen are village men, while the women are responsible for selling the fish and cooking the family's meals. It's truly remarkable to see how these men, women, and children survive and thrive off of ocean life, operating this fishing system all on their own, and taking pride in doing so.

Many of the men were not thrilled that we were there observing them complete their daily routine. Shouting at us, "Where is the money?!" Apparently a couple of weeks before our visit, a couple of foreigners, white men, had come to take pictures of the villagers and displayed them on television in derogatory manner. The fisherman never received any money for this videotaping and to add insult to injury were showcased in a bad light. They wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be happening again. Nevertheless I was able to catch a couple of good shots, but put my camera away once I noticed people were becoming uncomfortable and outright angry. It was a great learning experience and really brought out the reality the villagers' lifestyle.

I noticed there were no fisherman with any physical disabilities, or not ones that were visible at least. This leads me to believe there is no room for the disabled when it comes to physical work such as fishing in this village. Perhaps they can sell the fish and cook the fish, but sailing out on a boat to partake in the labor component of hauling the fish overboard in nets would be seen as too much of a physical challenge, as well as getting settled into the boat, as there are no safety restraints, and I imagine the person would also have to be a great swimmer.

Our visit to the mosque in Legon will definitely be a memorable one. I was under the pretense that we were going to visit 1 single mosque (as we did when visiting 1 single church), but I was wrong (well, sort of). We met an Imam, who took us around his village, where we entered at least 4 different local mosques as well as the chief of the village! What a surprise! We were able to sit in a mosque and visit others. I felt a bit bad about entering a mosque while men were in prayer, but the Imam wouldn't have taken "no" for an answer. I thought that for the most part the people of this muslim village were happy to see and us show us their culture, but later I found out that they were not so happy about our visit. There were students on the trip who are fluent in the local language Twi, that later told me that many of the villagers were asking why we were there and it was not in a nice way. This is totally understandable, and I am happy that for the most part the villagers were accepting of us, treated us kindly, and were tolerant of us. The Imam was exceptionally hospitable to us and made sure were well taken care of. In fact, we went over our allotted time scheduled for our visit, and as Kingsley would say, "We were fast behind time." We were even given food to take back home with us, KABOBS...

Dancing Lessons at Afia Beach Hotel

Tonight we had dancing lessons on the tennis court at our hotel, we were instructed by the CRAs from NYU. It was great! I liked the fact that it was optional, so not everyone had to come, and still, a lot of us showed up! It was so much fun, and funny at the same time. Of course in no way have we become professionals in traditional African dance, but we were able to get some of the moves. We really appreciated the Rosemary, Kingsley, and NanaAmah taking the time out of their schedule to teach us a little of their culture. They explained that they are taught these dances when they are in primary school. They were so knowledgeable and hand great rhythm! And afterward we played a schoolyard game called, "Big Booty!" in which I myself have played as a child, great night <3

Church and Drumming Lessons = Praise

I really had a nice time at church today. It was a really nice thing to add to our time spent here in Ghana. I am happy to report that this church is a lot more accessible than most other places we have visited in Accra. There is a vast open space in the parking lot in which vehicles may drive up to the church's entrance to drop a person off. Also, the stage where the pastor preaches in on ground level, making it very easy for those in wheelchairs to attend service and be able to view the service up close and personal. The church is huge! There is plenty of space to get around and it seems like there are many kind people willing to lend a helping hand. I am happy that this is so, since Ghana is deeply rooted in religion, and many Ghanaians attend church, so people with disabilities are not as much at a disadvantage when it comes to attending this particular church.

The service was special. Special to me, simply because church service is not something I attend regularly although I would really like to. I would like to become a more spiritual person. It was rewarding to get away from the classroom, the tour bus, the outside world, and just listen to the word. Great experience. Here is Nana and I, all dressed up, after service.

Drumming Lessons! I was so surprised to learn that we would be taught some traditional drumming tunes. It is definitely something that takes time and practice, and looks a lot easier than it really is. We we able to practice the basics and eventually play together. Our instructor was extremely patient and encouraging. I admire that the schools teach the children these cultural components (drumming) to their culture, so that they are not lost. It would be nice to have something of the sort here in America, perhaps this is similar to our music and chorus classes? But it seems so much more rich than singing a tune or playing the flute in 7th grade. I don't know, that's just my opinion. Great idea for the program. Suggestion: research a drummer/drummers or musicians who are disabled that play drums or other instruments that would also be able to aide in student instruction. I'm sure they would be more than happy to volunteer their time, and it would give students an idea of other roles people with disabilities in Ghana have.

The Broken Cord : Book Review

The broken cord was a book that I'm glad I read. It brought forth the reality of the consequences of alcohol misuse and abuse, a disease that may start as an acceptable thing to do in our society. However, in this case, it was about a child who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and later adopted by the author of the book. I found it amazing that Dorris (author) knew that his son has some setbacks, or disability, and for a while just could not receive a diagnosis. The reality of FAS is that many children come from mothers who are victims of poverty, lack of education, unstable mental health situations. One cocktail, one can of beer, one glass of wine per day can cause a child a typically developing life. What is most devastating about this disabling condition is that it is 100% PREVENTABLE.

Later on in the book, the reader goes on to learn that Dorris (author) finds some sort of explanation for his son's deficits while working as an anthropologist and as head of the Department of Native American Studies at Darmouth University. I thought that it was great that this book was also able to include culture into their story and how different ethnic groups deal with the same problem. Reading this book also scared me a little, in a way that I am now approaching the age of thinking about starting a family, wanting a child with my future husband, and if for some reason (God forbid) I was unable to conceive, then adoption is something I would definitely consider. In the book, it is at 26 years old, that the author realizes he wants to be a parent. When thinking about being a parent, I think about late nights, no sleep, changing diapers, first day of kindergarden, homework help, first school dance, first boyfriend/girlfriend, high school, and sending my child to college. I DON'T think about therapy sessions, uncontrollable crying, frustration, pity, embarrassment, and all of the other unpleasant things that may come with a child with a disability.

It becomes even more of a reality when dealing with these children in a therapeutic setting, as these are some of the deficits we would be encounter as OTs:

• Decreased muscle tone and poor coordination
• Delayed development and significant functional problems in three or more major areas: thinking, speech, movement, or social skills (as expected for the baby's age)
• https://health.google.com/health/ref/Fetal+alcohol+syndrome

As an OT, we would have to critically think about how improve this child's daily living at home, in school, and in their community; and also address the concerns of the parents. Many times we think all therapy should be directed towards the child, but we forget about showing improved ways to deal with deficits to the parents, educating them, and implementing these treatment plans into the family's daily routine.

I admire this author as he was able to overcome many adversities including adopting a child as a man, adopting a child of a different culture, and being a great father to a child with a disability. His fight to LOVE and CARE for his child is greatly portrayed in this book, and I look forward to one day watching the movie.