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A solution to a need With deformity seen as a one form of disadvantage or the other in pre-colonial and colonial African societies, it is enough to conclude that people with hearing impairment had no place in society. Such people were not only having the difficulty of living with their condition till death, but were also presumed to have no role in society and were thought of as a burden to their family members. But the turn of the independence year of 1957 signaled a change in their living conditions as American, the late Rev. Dr. Andrew Foster, began an evening class in Christiansburg in Accra for the hearing impaired. It was from this small beginning that the government of Ghana after independence drew inspiration and set up a committee to propose a system of education and rehabilitation for not only the hearing impaired but People With Disabilities (PWDs) in general as a means of empowering such people economically and socially. The committee proposed the establishment of formal schools and training centres to take up this onerous task�which is schooling the hearing impaired. And the Demonstration School for the Deaf � DEMODEAF � located on the hilly Akuapim suburb of the Eastern region, is one of such schools established for that purpose. Coming into existence in 1967, the Demonstration School and several others were established to create a platform for graduates of the then College of Special Education, which is similar to the Dzorwulu Special School for the Intellectually Disabled and Akropong School for the Blind. These graduates, mostly teachers, came in here and practically imparted what they understudied on the hearing impaired admitted for studies. Commencing as an evening school, the school with a population of 360-200 males and 160 females�including 10 deaf and dumb young Ghanaians, has extended its tentacles to include the organisation of a pre-school where at least 200 sign words in the sign language are taught new comers before they are allowed to join their other colleagues. DEMODEAF, as it is commonly known, currently has 56 teachers, 13 of which are deaf but holds a Diploma in Special Education; another teacher who is dumb is currently pursuing his Masters Degree in Special Education. His colleagues are holders of a minimum of Bachelor�s Degree in Special Education from the University of Education, Winneba (UEW,) with specialty in Deaf Education. Special school with special needs Two score and seven years after its existence, the school which has always been the first point of call for any child born with such disability, was only painted for the second time on its 45th anniversary celebration (2012) when a private lawyer, J. Opoku Agyei, through the Ghana Commercial Bank, funded such a course. Even at this time, only significant portions of the school were painted. Apart from being small and congested for its occupants most of who have to meander their ways through the beds to get to their beds, the dormitories of the school are also in very deteriorating conditions. The uneven floors do not only make movement difficult for the students, but communicates how bad the students housed in them are treated by not only family members who most of the time abandon them there but also by the government which has never seen the plight of the deaf as a national concern. Aside from the filth which inhabits the torn nets of the windows to the dormitories thus compelling all inmates to make use of mosquito nets, mattresses on which they lay their bodies also tell of how many years they have been over-used. Washrooms, kitchens and storerooms of this once celebrated school are nothing to write home about. To ease the increasing congestion on the facility, an additional dormitory was started some four years ago but the once applauded project is now at the mercy of the weather. The project has now been overgrown with weeds with teachers fearing an invasion of reptiles who have taken haven in this uncompleted building into the school. A vocational centre, which construction started several years ago, in tandem with the vision of the school�to give economic empowerment to students�has also been left to rot. Portions of the project are falling apart with a clear sign of it worsening further, if measures are not put in place to continue with the project which is part of the lifeline of the school. Demoralised teachers Like their colleagues in the formal sector, who have consistently been complaining of the lack of motivation culminating in strikes, teachers here also complain about the lack of motivation. They say their salaries are nothing to write home about, especially as they take charge of students who need special attention due to their special needs. The specially trained teachers with a higher degree of patience, commitment, tenacity of purpose, a real positive attitude to life and above all deep love for these special children in particular urged government to pay attention to their needs. Government�s meagre subvention The school is entitled to a meager amount of GH�2.20p per head for each day, an amount which is so meager and hence has forced the school�s leadership and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to look elsewhere for support. Housemaster, Mr. Yao Worlanyo, confirms that most parents leave their wards in the school and no word is heard from them again. �Others visit once every fortnight and when you call for a meeting, they would not come,� he said. It is however interesting that the inmates here hate people who beg on the street. Headmaster of the school, Mr. Busty Solomon Kwashie, adds that �people should empathise with the disability of the children, and not sympathise with them.� �If you understand the child that way, there would not be any friction as their communication is special.� He also advised that people should not see the behaviour of the children as absurd but rather be given special attention.