Disability is not an excuse
MANY see disability as an excuse for not achieving their dreams, however, Laisani Vosa has a different perspective. As a person with hearing impairment from birth, Vosa realised that communication was a major hurdle for her to overcome in life.
“During my childhood, one of the major struggles which I was introduced to was communication. When I was a child my parents didn’t know sign language so they faced difficulty in interacting with me,” she said.
Soon after getting married, she discovered that there was a lack of understanding and communication between her and her partner which resulted in their separation.
Originally from Lakeba, Lau, the mother of three said after separation she moved to her family home in Sigatoka and worked as a chairperson at the Deaf Youth Fiji to support her children.
“Last year I attended training and received a certificate in skill work vocational pathway and recently I attended the Empowerment Training on Health and Wellbeing.
“Through these trainings I get to learn new things and meet many people.”
The 27-year-old said enrolling at Hilton Special School allowed her to discover herself and her hidden talents.
“As communication was a barrier between me and my parents and while having that struggle my parents learnt about Hilton Special School where I was enrolled to learn sign language and complete my primary education.
“Attending Hilton Special School taught me to communicate and relate things to life and my surroundings where I discovered my life which made life more meaningful for me.”
The former student of Gospel High School said lack of financial support caused her to dropout of tertiary education.
“After completing my Year 12 studies, I went to the University of the South Pacific, but since the fees for my studies were too high I had to dropout after which I got married.”
She acknowledged the support of her parents in getting her educated and teaching sign language to help her communicate with people.