In Gaza, access to education for children with hearing and visual impairments has been severely restricted — Al Jazeera
In Gaza, children with hearing and visual impairments have limited or no access to specialized education due to damage to educational institutions, family displacement, and shortages of necessary equipment. As Al Jazeera reports, 13-year-old Kenan al-Sabaa, who has a hearing impairment, cannot repair his hearing aid: batteries, tubes, and earmolds for the device are unavailable due to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Before the war began in October 2023, the boy studied at the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children in Gaza City. The organization’s building was partially destroyed during the war, after which it became an overcrowded shelter for displaced people. Atfaluna has now organized temporary learning spaces, and Kenan can attend one of them near where his family lives.
Limited classes and equipment shortages
The boy’s father, Tamer al-Sabaa, said that during the first year of the war, his son did not attend school at all. Classes now take place three days a week and last no more than two hours a day, which, he said, is insufficient to make up for missed learning. Kenan’s movement also remains dangerous, as he cannot hear explosions or warning signals and cannot always communicate with people around him.
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Sign language interpreter and disability rights advocate Fadel Kuraz stated that before October 2023, about 20,000 people with hearing impairments were registered in Gaza. According to field estimates, another approximately 35,000 people experienced complete or partial hearing loss as a result of explosions. He also reported shortages of hearing aids, batteries, earmolds, and spare parts, as well as difficulties with specialized examinations and treatment.
School for children with visual impairments
Children with visual impairments face similar problems. The An-Nur School in the Tal al-Hawa district in southwestern Gaza City, which was the only public school for middle and high school students with visual impairments, sustained significant damage and ceased operations. Before the war, about 80 students from across Gaza studied there, with some transported by special buses.
The school’s former educational adviser, Duaa Omar Bashir, fears that without regular classes, students may lose their Braille reading and independent learning skills. The mother of 12-year-old Jana Shreim, who has a significant visual impairment, said her daughter’s glasses broke during the mass departure from the Shati refugee camp in November 2023. The family was unable to replace them, and Jana herself was left without access to education and studies at home with the help of a Braille typewriter.
