BUK sees beyond disability. Within the four walls of Bayero University Kano (BUK), a quiet revolution is taking place. While students rush between lectures, a dedicated team of educators, administrators, and support staff are working tirelessly to ensure that every student regardless of physical ability has equal access to quality education.
This is a commitment that goes beyond policy statements, it is about creating real, tangible support systems that empower students with disabilities to excel in their various endeavours.
A Missionary Department
Professor Kyauta Ibrahim, Head of the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation sciences at Bayero University, describes the comprehensive support system his department has built. “We have four programs: undergraduate, masters, PGDE, and PhD,” he explains. “And in all these programs, we are trying our best to make sure that we support students with disabilities.”
Support begins the moment a student with disability secures admission. Expert staff members guide them through registration, help them select appropriate courses, and ensure they understand available resources. “We advise them on the best course to take, but with their consent,” Professor Kyauta emphasizes. “For example, we have special education combined with biology, physics, mathematics, history, sociology, and political science. We help them choose what they can realistically pursue given the available facilities.”
This honest approach reflects the department’s commitment to setting students up for success.
As Professor Kyauta candidly notes, “In Nigeria, we don’t have all the equipment that would allow visually impaired persons to study mathematics at an advanced level, so we advise them about the challenges because we want them to succeed.”
Support Systems
Bayero University currently serves three main categories of students with disabilities: those with hearing impairments, visual impairments, and physical disabilities, and each group receives tailored support.
For students with hearing impairments, the university employs sign language interpreters who attend lectures, translating everything in real-time. “I want to urge lecturers not to feel afraid of seeing interpreters in class,” Professor Ibrahim says. “It is a method of communication that enables deaf students to understand what is being taught. It is a common practice all over the world.”
The university management has also made practical accommodations in student housing. “We give them rooms on the ground floor,” explains a university administrator. “Sometimes we let them choose the rooms they want by themselves. In some hostels, there are interlock pedestals purposely built for people who are visually impaired.”
The Specialist Library
Perhaps the crown jewel of BUK’s support system is the specialist library for students with disabilities, housed within the main university library. This facility is equipped with transformative technology.
“If you go to the university library, there is so much equipment made available for people that are visually impaired,” notes the university management. “There are Braille machines and machines that turn writing to words, many machines that enable them to cope with their learning activities.”
The library houses Braille embossers worth millions of naira that convert standard text into Braille format. Students bring lecture notes in electronic format, and the machine produces Braille versions on special water-resistant paper. “We do this free of charge,” Professor kyauta says proudly. “The only thing is that they have to bring their Braille paper.”
The library also features topaz magnifiers for students with partial sight and laptops equipped with JAWS (Job Access With Speech) software that enable visually impaired students to use computers independently. “We also train students on how to use all these gadgets,” Professor Kyauta adds.
This support extends beyond the Special Education department. “Even if a student is from law or political science, they can come to us,” the professor explains. “Last session, a lady from political science had her typewriter spoiled. She came here, we borrowed her one. After the exam, she returned it.”
A Student’s Journey:Hassan Shittu
Hassan Shittu’s story exemplifies both the possibilities and challenges of being a student with disability at BUK. Having lost his sight after completing secondary school, Hassan arrived uncertain about navigating university without sight.
“I did rehabilitation, which made me get back to my normal self, so I was able to cope well academically,” Hassan recalls. “During classes, we can record our lectures, Braille them, or use our laptops to type whatever we hear. By all those means, we function, and sometimes we even top the class.
There is no barrier as a person with visual impairment, so far we are provided with the necessary support.”
Hassan’s interactions with classmates reveal the power of performance to change perceptions. “Some might look down on you at first,” he admits.
Changing Attitudes Through Advocacy
Beyond infrastructure and equipment, BUK’s inclusive education initiative includes ongoing campaigns to change attitudes.Organize radio programs to educate the public about disability issues and challenge negative cultural stereotypes.
“Our cultural background determines our attitude toward persons with disabilities, and in most cases, attitudes are negative,” he acknowledges. “But we carry out campaigns, especially during Disability Day, and have programs on university radio and beyond.”
The results are tangible. “A few years back, we experienced people showing negative attitudes ranging from both lecturers and students. But things are changing now,” Professor Kyauta says. “You see a person with visual impairment moving around, and before you know it, somebody will say, ‘Let me help you.’ These are results of the campaigns we’ve been carrying out.
BUK’s inclusive education model has produced remarkable graduates. “Malam Ibrahim Abdulkarim, when he speaks, people are surprised when told he is visually impaired. He had his first degree here, then went to Manchester for his master’s degree in inclusive education.”Professor Ibrahim says of one former student.
Other graduates have become physiotherapists, radio broadcasters, and university lecturers. “These stories shatter the misconception that disability equals inability,” Professor Kyauta notes. “They can be anything: lawyers, architects, building engineers when we have the equipment at hand.”
Challenges That Remain
Despite successes, challenges persist, ranging from Architectural barriers remain significant obstacles. “Before you familiarize yourself with the surroundings, it’s a big challenge,” Hassan admits. ” The way buildings are built is not that accessible for persons with disabilities.”
Professor Kyauta points to infrastructure issues: “Our buildings use staircases, which are difficult for wheelchair users. Even sitting arrangements are normal chairs, so wheelchair users can’t access them. Cars are packed everywhere, impeding movement. The university should consider special parking spaces.”
Looking Forward
Bayero University Kano’s journey toward full educational inclusion continues, but the progress offers a compelling model for other Nigerian universities.
Through specialized academic support, assistive technology, accessible facilities, attitude change campaigns, and genuine commitment to treating students with disabilities as capable learners, BUK demonstrates that inclusive education is achievable.
The university management’s practical accommodations, Professor kyauta’s passionate advocacy, and Hassan Shitu’s academic success tell the same story.
Therefore, when barriers are systematically removed and support consistently provided, students with disabilities don’t just participate, they excel.
That combination of institutional commitment and student satisfaction is the foundation of truly inclusive education. Bayero University Kano is showing the way forward, one supported student, one changed attitude, one success story at a time.
By; Aisha Aderinola Usman
