Make disabled students a priority, deaf Nunavut grad says

Nunavut should make it a priority to help students with disabilities graduate from high school, says the family of one of the territory's first deaf high school graduates.

Clayton (Ipu) Ungungai, who was born deaf, graduated with Inukshuk High School's class of 2007 this past weekend in Iqaluit.

"I feel excited, joyful and proud," Ungungai told CBC News in sign language on Monday, through his mother and interpreter, Sandy Kownak.

"I can't even really believe it myself," she said. "It was very inspiring, because he's also the first graduate in our family. So he's an inspiration to our whole family."

The family said it wasn't easy to get Ungungai through the territory's public school system.

Ungungai said he could not get a sign language interpreter to help him in school until he was 13 years old, after his family lobbied the government for one.

"We've lived in several places where the lack of resources for sign language itself is a challenge," Kownak said in an interview. "Students with disabilities are not considered a priority under the education system."

Ungungai said he wants learning to be easier for other deaf students.

"I would've probably liked to learn more Inuktitut as a deaf person — possibly even Inuit sign language," he said. "That's one thing I'd want to see for the new deaf kids."

Kownak said she wants the Nunavut government to help disabled students be motivated to graduate.