“Things are changing, but very slowly.  In the existing age of great science and technology, some still think in old ways.”

This is how Eliwaja Jacob Msukuma, a visually-impaired Masters of Education student at University of Dar es Salaam and member of the Executive Committee on Youth in the Tanzania League of the Blind, reacts when I ask her how much disabled Tanzanians have been considered in social economic development.

“You can observe, families with disabled are not really taking good care of their beloved,” Msukuma says. “The present situation is what we call overprotection, and it is not just a normal upbringing of children.”

In discussing such issues, Msukuma speaks from experience. She nearly missed a chance to enroll in post-secondary education because the instructor whom she approached to ask for support after the death of her father did not believe that she could perform well at university and preferred that she stay home.

“I went to ask for government support to cover my fees, but after seeing me the officer said that I could not do anything and told me to stay at home,” Msukuma says. “It was by chance that another teacher, who once taught me when I was at primary, advised the officer not to deny me the opportunity, for I was like any other student and there was no need to be rejected.”

Even when Msukuma did enroll at a good school, she faced harassment from other students. “My performance at school gave me hard moments, some students started to hate me,” she recalls. “They would say I was favored because of my condition. I tried in vain to tell them no one was helping me, that only my efforts decided my performance.” Eventually, Msukuma proved her ability as a student and moved onto a graduate program, where she is currently studying.

The troubles of the disabled in Tanzania can be attributed to a few factors: too few schools for the disabled, too few representatives in parliament, poor infrastructure catering to the needs of the disabled, and the segregation of this minority group in higher sectors of the government and private institutions.

According to Msukuma, the problems often start with the parents of disabled youth, at the family level, especially during childhood. Overprotection is the tendency of over-caring for a person, to the extent that a caregiver limits the ability of the disabled person to keep things under their own control.

“Most parents are not allowing their children to mix with others, simply because they take them as abnormal and incapable,” explains the disabled graduate student. “Then one can ask him or herself: If a child is not allowed to play, speak, or mix with others, how she or he can improve? Even a normal boy or girl needs social contact to sharpen the brain.”

Msukuma says that the impact of this method of parenting should not be underestimated. “This unnecessary overprotection, which to me is nothing but hate in love-disguise, is the major problem even though there are many others, but when things start here, they do not stop.” As she speaks, her distress is apparent.

“The problems just go on spreading to other sectors and lately it becomes really hard to place the disabled in social and economic development processes as they will not be capable.”

Emmanuel Mpulikila, who works as Visually-Impaired Leader (someone who acts as guide for disabled people) at the University of Dar es Salaam, says that guardians, caregivers, and parents need not be afraid to allow their disabled dependents to mix with others.

“Before I started this job, I used to think people with disabilities were dependents who only waited to be helped by others,” he says. “I did not know that they can fully manage their affairs to the extent that sometimes one can not easy believe.”

“Now that I work with them I can describe them as fast learners,” adds Mpulikila. He says that if disabled people are not allowed to mix with their normally-functioning peers, they lose their ability to be adaptive. Essentially, they risk losing their capacity for autonomy.

“I can say that most of them are easy learners, they adopt faster to a new environment and are capable of managing themselves. They have an extraordinary intelligence. Parents have no need to prevent them from mixing with others.”