00:00But a very good morning once again if you just find Jarvis Maneka has made history in
00:13the Solomon Islands.
00:14We'll check out the weather it's a bit look like it's cloudy day today George.
00:18Yeah and also fine too so we never know yeah it's very unpredictable.
00:24He co-hosts the breakfast show for the country's national broadcaster.
00:29I'm super proud of it that I am now the first blind radio presenter in the country.
00:39Born on the remote island of Bologna Jarvis initially went to the local school but with
00:45his vision deteriorating the teachers could no longer support him.
00:49He was told not to come back.
00:52When you're hearing your classmates going out to the school and you recognise their
00:55voices that was really stressful and I thought what on earth that I have to be just like
01:02locked up this way.
01:03I look at myself as a failure.
01:10Years later in the capital Honiara Jarvis finally found a school that would enrol him.
01:17Education opportunities for students with disability across the Solomon Islands are
01:21limited.
01:22In its 47th year the specialist development centre remains one of the only schools in
01:26the country providing these students with a place to learn.
01:32Most students who transition into mainstream education end up back here where they learn
01:37hands-on skills as well as literacy and numeracy.
01:42But the centre is poorly resourced and the principal says parents have unrealistic expectations.
01:50They expect their child to be in the school for six months or for a year and then go to
01:58the mainstream school.
02:00He says stigma can be a major reason some children with disability don't go to school
02:05at all.
02:06There are some people in the society who still think that those people with disability cannot
02:14contribute to the development in our community.
02:20Eddie Babanissi believes that attitude has stopped him from fulfilling his dream of becoming
02:25a lawyer.
02:26He studied abroad but has struggled to find work after coming home.
02:31Applying to jobs that are not getting any place is really a disappointment.
02:39Eddie is still making use of his legal training, having started a blindness advocacy group.
02:45While the father of three's career hasn't turned out how he planned, he knows he's making
02:51a difference.
02:52I have a beautiful family who make me want to live each day to be able to help other
02:58blind people and not only blind people but other people with disabilities as well.
03:05Despite the obstacles many students with disability face here, there is a sense of hope in the
03:10community that the future will be brighter for the next generation.
03:18For my future I want to be a chef.
03:20I want to become a nurse when I grow up.
03:24I want to become a builder when I grow up.
03:29With role models like Jarvis Maneka, they're being shown anything is possible.
03:36I am really, really optimistic about what lies ahead of me.
Comments