Ghana, Africa — July 16, 2023 — The Duperon Learning Center, which provides support services for developmentally disabled children aged 8-25, celebrated their grand opening with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on July 16, 2023, from 2 to 4 p.m. The opening of the Center is much awaited and welcomed as the demand for services to meet the needs of children and young adults with disabilities increases, while a shortage of professionals able to provide these services continues to be in short supply.
The Duperon Learning Center came about as the result of a chance meeting of two extraordinary individuals who live more than 5,000 miles apart. Terry Duperon met Priscilla Amanorkuor Dseagu in early 2018 when he was invited by Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, Professor of Business at Saginaw Valley State University, to Ghana, Africa to teach his signature program of Duperon Education, The Class. Duperon Education has offered The Class in Michigan for nearly 20 years, and it has been widely attended and credited for changing lives for the better. Terry created The Class to share his experience of achieving his dream of becoming an inventor and not following the traditional path to success with others to inspire them to go after their own dreams.
The Class focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, creative thinking and embracing one’s God-given talents while ignoring one’s weaknesses, essentially “running with what you’ve got.” Priscilla participated in The Class and was immediately inspired and shared her dream with Terry. “Priscilla shared her dream to make a difference for children with disabilities with me and I was moved. That is how a dream works. You share it with other people and soon the connections and the doors start to open. Achieving your dream is a series of small steps in the direction of your goal.” Terry was very impressed by Priscilla and saw that she had the characteristics and passion of a person who was capable of creating great things. He decided to support her dream and as Terry puts it, “the ripple effect” was put into motion – this chance meeting and sharing of dreams will positively affect many young lives for years to come.
Priscilla, who is in the process of earning her doctorate from the University of Education of Winneba in Special Education, is excited to open the Center and begin providing support services to the children and young adults of Ghana. According to her “even though Ghana has an inclusive education policy, the experience gained from my practice as a special education teacher and the research I have conducted, shows that children with learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities have difficulty progressing through school due to a lack of curricular adaptations, educational resources, and trained professionals (special education teachers, speech/occupational/physical therapists), which leads them to drop out of school or just pass through school as a result of not receiving any support services which would enable them to succeed in school.” The Duperon Learning Center will provide support services to help these individuals meet their goals for greater independence and community inclusion. The Center is currently staffed with Priscilla herself providing the support services and will soon have a full staff of direct support professionals and supervisory staff who will focus on each person’s unique goals and needs. Individuals receive support services (such as special educational support, speech, occupational, and physical therapy) as needed, as well as, vocational training to help them learn the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and fully independent adults.
George Copeland, School Improvement Specialist: Student and Community Outreach, Saginaw Valley State University and City of Saginaw Councilman, is in Ghana as part of the 2023 Sister City Visit through the Sankofa Project, led by Dr. Dawn Hinton, Professor of Sociology/Director of the Center for Academic Innovation and Online Learning at Saginaw Valley State University, and had the opportunity to visit the Center and meet with Priscilla, “I’m truly honored to be able to celebrate the opening of the Duperon Learning Center. Terry Duperon and The Duperon Corporation have been long supporters of education and our youth. It’s a blessing to see his passion and purpose reach all the way to Ghana, Africa. The commitment Priscilla has given to students with special needs should be commended. I’m looking forward to the great success of the Center and our Ghanaian brothers and sisters. Akwaaba to the City of Saginaw.”
To learn more about the Duperon Learning Center and the services it offers, please contact Priscilla Amanorkuor Dseagu directly via email: kprisdseagu@yahoo.com or phone:+2 332-448-5964