Catherine Edeh

Catherine Edeh is Nigeria's first deaf female lawyer. She is an activist for disability rights. Edeh is the first deaf female lawyer in Nigeria. Edeh started the Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI). She is the founder and Executive Director. She went to Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, University of Ilorin, and University of Minnesota.

 Early life 
Edeh was born in Enugu, Nigeria. She became deaf when she was five. Her parents wanted her to quit school and learn to be a seamstress or hairdresser. Edeh wanted to stay in school. She braided people's hair to save up money to go to college. She went to Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, and learned sign language there. She studied at University of Ilorin, in Kwara State. Edeh then studied at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, USA.

 Career 
Edeh noticed the amount of human rights violations disabled people go through every day. She wanted to do something about it. She believed that laws that protected disabled people needed to be put in place in Nigeria. Edeh got her Bachelor of Laws Degree at University of Ilorin. She was the only deaf person in her class. Edeh also studied in the U.S. She went to University of Minnesota. 

Edeh is the Executive Director of Voice of Disability Initiative.Imohimi, Felicia. (2017, April 5). Lawyer seeks policies protective of physically-challenged persons.. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) (Nigeria). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current. Their goal is to inspire disabled people, especially women. VDI also wants to protect the rights of disabled people.Lawyer calls for policies protective of the physically-challenged. (2017, April 6). PM News (Nigeria). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current. 

Edeh has been helping deaf people go to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology. She did not have a secondary school near her home where she could study. She had to go far away for school. So, she wants a school deaf students can attend in the south part of Nigeria.

Edeh also works to protect deaf girls from violence. She works for better healthcare for girls with disabilities.

 Personal life 
Edeh married a deaf man to avoid being mistreated by a hearing husband.

 References 

Category:Pages created with the Article Wizard from 2023
Category:Living people
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Nigerian lawyers
Category:Feminists
Category:Deaf people
Category:Disability activists
Category:People from Enugu State