Mrs Aminat Jummai Gimba has been involved in special education for almost 2 decades. She speaks about the stereotype associated with children with special needs especially in Nigeria where the belief is the children are "possessed by spirits".
She is the co-founder of The Farid Centre which was founded with the aim of sensitizing and enlightening parents, guardians, family members and other caregivers, to the ways that therapeutic care can make a difference in the lives of people living with special needs; and by so doing giving comfort and succour to those affected. Mrs Gimba is a strong and passionate advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, especially in a society where there is still a lot of stigma around such issues. The advocacy of the Centre involves dismantling these stereotypes and prejudices in the wider community, thereby, advocating not just for the needs of the disabled child, but for their rights as well. This has put her at the forefront of not just the development of different novel strategies, but also the implementation of appropriate programmes to enhance their qualities of life, through a unique mix of theory and praxis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx