The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lake Erie professor invited to Nigeria
An associate professor at Lake Erie College recently was selected for a school commissioning ceremony.
Katie Krammer, who is associate professor of special education at Lake Erie College, recently was selected to travel to Nigeria for a special school commissioning ceremony.
Krammer was chosen because of her contribution working on a unique project through Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., involving international special education. In addition to her extensive local involvement with special needs education and advocacy, Krammer has served as an online instructor for Gallaudet University since 2011, teaching most of the university’s courses in their online Educating Deaf Students with Disabilities Graduate Certificate Program, according to the news release.
Krammer’s international endeavors began with a discussion between Simon I. Guteng and Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the executive governor of Nasarawa State.
Guteng is an associate professor of education at Gallaudet, teaching and conducting research for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. He has been an active advocate for disability laws in Nigeria, serving as special assistant to the executive governor of Plateau State and helping to pioneer that state’s 2005 disability rights law, the release also states.
Guteng’s efforts in Nigeria put him in contact with Gov. Al-Makura, who happens to be deaf himself and has a cochlear implant. The duo’s shared philosophy of inclusivity led them to conceptualize the Comprehensive Special School, a K-12 government-supported institution of learning to be based in Lafia, Nasarawa State. Specifically, they sought to create an educational establishment geared toward all people who are deaf or hard of hearing, have visual, physical or developmental disabilities, or have autism spectrum disorders.
To make their vision a reality, Guteng set out to assemble a team of professionals with the best formal educational and professional training in teaching students with physical, visual and developmental disabilities, the release said.
Krammer was asked to be part of the team. She accepted the role and began work as a consultant in the summer of 2017, expecting the project to extend for the foreseeable future. She serves as a consultant for the school’s curriculum for students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have autism.
“Simon’s request caught me completely off guard,” said Krammer, recounting the whirlwind of expedited visa applications, vaccinations and travel coordination that unfolded over the next two days. “At the end of the day, I couldn’t say no to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The ceremony was directed by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The Lafia Comprehensive Special School is a demonstration of our collective ambition to uplift the standard of living of all Nigerians through social investment policies,” stated President Buhari in his official remarks. “This school is a clear example of our inclusive policy where no child, man or woman will be left behind. This is a wellthought-out initiative to give hope to a key segment of the society that has been ignored and neglected by previous governments. We must help our disabled to contribute to their development and self-reliance.”
The whole experience was surreal, Krammer said.
“This trip was a lifechanging, eye-opening experience,” she said. “I’m honored to have been asked to consult with this project and am amazed by the progressive mindset of leaders like Gov. Al-Makura. I look forward to continuing to work with the Comprehensive Special School as it progresses.”