Janaan was born with Down Syndrome and came to the US to have heart surgery. During her surgery, she contracted meningitis that was so invasive, it caused brain damage. As a child at the time, I did not understand the severity of the situation, but when Janaan came home from the hospital, I knew she was different. She had lost her sight and hearing – all her ability to function.

A part of my Hausa culture is that of taking one’s niece or nephew as your child, and I took that honor very seriously. As much as my family embraced Janaan’s condition, the stares and ignorance from strangers were evident. Despite being filled with anger at the negative reactions Janaan would sometimes face from people, I knew that educating society was the only way forward to changing the perception of disability.

It’s important for adults to learn and understand causation, prevention and remediation, while children need to be encouraged to interact with children with disabilities. This is the only way to create a world where we look at those with different abilities as our equals. Therefore, the work of Haske Children’s Foundation is crucial ­– to change the narrative of disability while supporting the needs of children with disabilities and their families.