“I can never thank IUG enough,” smiled Ala’, “Thank you IUG, thank you,” said he using his hands.
The expression of emotions and thoughts is essential in building a strong personality. Ala’ E’liyan, 31 years old and born in the middle area, lost his ability to hear after he was infected with meningitis when he was five months old. Not being able to hear, of course, led to the inability to speak. His only means of communication was through his hands, which is how he talked to us. In his early years of life, there was not any equipped kindergartens which could deal with special cases of the sort. He had to learn the basics of Arabic and mathematics depending on lips reading.
Ala’ may have lost his hearing, but he did not lose the love of his family. They stood by his side and took extra care of him. They were his words and ears.
Ala’ studied his first and second years of primary school at an UNRWA school. The headmaster only accepted Ala’ in the school as an experimental phase. “During my two years, I faced so many challenges in communicating with the teachers and students. I could only understand what I could see from their moving lips.”
Ala’ could not stand strong against the criticism, which he described as ‘hurtful’. He decided to quit school and look for an alternative which would better suit his abilities, “My uncle helped me continue my primary school education at Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children where I mastered sign language,” said Ala’.
Ala’ went through so many stops on his way to, what he called, ‘the end of the tunnel’ which he had already set for himself. However, there were not any institutions back then which could take in deaf persons. When he was in preparatory school, he joined the Vocational Training Center at Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children. Ala’ said, “I learned how to sew. I even worked at a factory for a year. I had to quit. I was the only deaf one and I could not communicate with them.”
“I became a really good carpenter. Thanks to the translators, I was able to master it in two years. I worked at a factory which, unfortunately, closed down when the second Intafada happened,” he further explained.
His passion did not wear off. He became more eager to gain new experiences. As a disabled person, Ala’ understood how his peers felt. He took a job as a sign language trainer for five years and that fuelled his heart with the right catalyst to rise and help other deaf people reach the top, as well.
Ala’ also told us that he participated for a year and a half in different courses which support the rights of the disabled persons. He also showed his support through a project implemented by Handicap International in 2012. “We received a funding for ‘Awaken Conscience’ initiative which was inaugurated by our team. I was the executive director. We had one goal: stand up for our causes and rights.”
After the Ministry of Education opened Al Raf’i Public School for the Deaf, Ala’ was able to continue his education and study high school there; he, at the same time, started working as a volunteer secretary at the school.
Now that he had finished his school education, he and his peers aspired to go for their higher education. The Islamic University of Gaza, then, opened its gates wide open to receive the students with disabilities. “The university met with us and held several workshops. IUG identified our needs and chose for us the majors which best suited our abilities and skills. It offered me and my wife a scholarship. IUG showed me light. It helped me reach the end of the tunnel which I thought would take me forever to reach.”
IUG made sure to facilitate things for the students. It provided them with sign language translators and adjusted the courses to suit the students.
“I can never thank IUG enough,” smiled Ala’, “Thank you IUG, thank you,” said he using his hands.
